


The Immortal Thea Queen

by hunter72



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Highlander: The Series
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2019-12-25 14:02:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 67,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18262781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hunter72/pseuds/hunter72
Summary: What if Malcolm Merlyn wasn’t the one who saved Thea from Slade’s army. What if it was someone else, something else?





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Arrow or Highlander. Their characters and concepts belong to the CW and DC Comics for Arrow and Davis-Panzer for Highlander.

May 14, 2014  
Starling City

Thea Queen was sitting in the train station, her purse by her side. She’d already checked her bags and gotten her ticket, now she was just waiting for the time to come to board the train. A part of her didn’t want to leave, but she needed to get away. Away from the pain and the lies, not knowing who to trust and what to believe. The pain, the sheer crushing agony of her mother’s murder and the knowledge that her own brother was in some way responsible tore at her. She knew she needed to grieve and come to terms with all of that, but she couldn’t do that here.

  
Across the room, a man of about 30 is sitting. His dark brown hair is closely cut, as is his beard. His eyes are hazel, though that is somewhat disguised by the glasses that he wears. He’s dressed in a pair of black dress slacks, blue button-down shirt and black shoes. What looks like a map case is sitting across his lap, while his head is slightly bowed, as if he is dozing.

  
A sudden loud noise got both of their attentions. Turning, they saw a man in a yellow and black mask come into the station, attacking anyone who came within reach. Thea jumped up and ran for the doors, trying to stay hidden as she did so. Unfortunately, the doors she reached were locked. As she wrestled with getting the doors opened, the masked assailant was able to grab her and lift her up by her neck.  
Thea thought that she was going to die, as she felt the hands squeeze and her ability to breath was taken from her. Then suddenly she was dropped to the ground. Looking up, she saw the tip of a sword sticking out of her attacker’s stomach before it was violently twisted and withdrawn. Standing behind him was a stranger with a calm, yet gentle expression on his face.

  
“Who are you?” the man in the mask asked, as he turned.

  
“Death,” was all the answer he received before the sword flashed again, this time neatly decapitating the man.

  
Thea could only watch as the man calmly used the coat of the dead man to clean the blade of his sword, then return the sword to the sheath on his back. She looked a little apprehensively at the hand that was extended to her, yet recalled the gentle eyes that she had seen. Taking the hand, she allowed herself to be helped from the floor.

  
“Follow me, if you want to live,” was all that the man said, before turning and leading the way out of the train station.

  
“Who are you? Why are you helping me?” Thea asked as she followed the man from the station, not knowing where they were going.

  
“My name is Anthony Rossi, though I doubt that means anything to you, nor should it. As for why I’m helping you….”

  
“Look out!”

  
Anthony barely had time to turn before a man dressed the same at the first hit him. The impact lifted him a foot in the air and sent him about five feet away. Thea turned to run, but was caught easily. Screaming, she struggled to pull away, but it was useless. The man was simply too strong for her to do anything. Looking over at where Anthony lay, she was surprised to see him starting to stand, then remove his sword and move towards them.

  
The masked man tossed her aside and charged. Anthony continued forward until the last moment, then he dropped low and struck. His strike was well aimed, severing the right hamstring and sending his opponent crashing to the pavement. Standing up, Anthony is shocked as he turns to find the man struggling to get up. Yet, years of training and instincts take over and the sword moved without conscious thought, more a reflex.

  
Thea watched in horror as this man she doesn’t know decapitates a second person in front of her. But as she looks around and begins to take in the full scope of the nightmare that Starling City is descending into, a part of her realizes that what he is doing may be the only thing anyone can do. Kill or be killed was the thought that entered her mind as did the feeling that she could trust him.

  
“We need to get moving, find somewhere safe,” Anthony told her.

  
“I’d still like to know why you’re helping me,” Thea said as she followed him.

  
“When we’re somewhere safe, I’ll be happy to tell you….”

  
“Thea, Thea Queen.”

  
“It’s nice to meet you, Thea Queen,” Anthony tells her before moving off again, with Thea walking behind him.

  
Fortunately, they encounter no more of the masked men as they leave the area around the train station. There’s just a mass of people running in every direction, as no one knows which way is safe. After the previous two attacks, Anthony decided to keep his sword out and ready. The steel glints in the light from the fires and street lights, marking him as a potential threat, as someone to be wary of. The bands of looters give him and Thea a respectful distance as they walk quickly.

  
Up ahead, Anthony hears something. But what’s worse is what he starts to see, as people come running from that direction in clear panic. Grabbing Thea’s hand, he turns her around and leads the way to an alley, just as two men in the black and yellow mask come into view.

  
“Come on,” Anthony said quietly, leading them back into the gloom of the alley.

  
“Oh, God. How many of them are there?” Thea asks.

  
“Thea, whatever happens, stay behind me. And if I say for you to run, then run as fast as you can.”

  
With that, they set off through the alleys, sticking to cover as best as they can. However, since neither was from around there, they soon realized that they would need to get back on a street if they hoped to actually get anywhere. So, the next main street that they came to, Anthony had Thea wait in the alley while he stepped out and took a look around. The coast being clear, he waved for her to join him and together they headed away from downtown.

  
“So, where were you going when all of this started?” Anthony asked.

  
“Pretty much anywhere as long as it was far away from here,” Thea told him. “What about you?”

  
“Central City, then on to Paris to visit an old friend.”

  
“Paris? That’s fairly far away.”

  
Anthony looks over at the younger woman, smiling slightly at the hopeful expression on her face. And since Duncan wasn’t expecting him anyways, then he’d be doubly surprised when two people showed up on his doorstep. He just wondered what Duncan would have to say about Thea and the fact that she is a pre-Immortal. Anthony remembered Duncan’s friend Claudia, the prodigy who was also a pre-Immortal, until another Immortal decided to kill her so that she would be forever young, at the height of her talents only for her to lose those talents along with her mortality. The young woman had chosen to forgo training with a sword and went out on her own, needing that sense of potentially dying in order to get her gift back, her music.

  
So, if anyone could understand the struggle that was confronting Anthony, it would be Duncan. Did he tell Thea about her future, or did he allow her to live her life blissfully ignorant of it until the day came? There were pros and cons to both choices, he knew. The biggest con of telling her being that she could potentially live out her life, grow old and simply die of natural causes. From what he knew and had learned over the centuries, their immortality was triggered only by a non-natural death.

  
In the end, there was really only one decision that needed to be made now. That was whether to take her with him or not. Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, he smiled slightly to himself at how she is also looking at him. Anthony decided that he’d take her as far as Central City and see how they feel about going further together. Who knows, after a couple of days together, they may just decide to go their separate ways.

  
What neither of them notice is that behind and above them, there stands a figure watching them. A hooded figure dressed in black, a bow in his hand and a quiver on his back. He’d been following them since the train station, so close to intervening when the first masked figure had attacked Thea, yet stopped by the man with the sword stepping in. Since then, he’d stuck to the shadows. A part of him had been ready to drive an arrow through the man, yet he had to acknowledge that the man was protecting his daughter and doing it well. So, for now he would remain in the shadows, until the pair either needed his help or had managed to escape the city.

June 6, 2014  
Paris, France

Anthony and Thea were walking along the river Seine, holding hands and laughing. They’d arrived early that morning on a flight from Central City, where they had been staying after leaving Starling City and the aftermath of whatever it was that had happened. Thea had never been able to find the suitcase that she had been taking with her, so she and Anthony had ended up going shopping for her. Now, she had 2 new suitcases filled with clothes waiting with his suitcase back at their hotel.

  
They had gotten the last suite in the hotel and it was the third hotel that he had called. He had been slightly surprised until he’d looked at the newsstand and seen the date. The seventieth anniversary of D-Day and he thought back to those days, the men he’d lost fighting his way across the beach. Even now, as they walked along the river, he was still affected by it and Thea had noticed his distraction.  
Finally, Anthony saw their destination up ahead. He could also feel it, the telltale Buzz that signaled another Immortal was nearby. And while he was certain it would be Duncan, that didn’t stop him from adopting a posture that would allow him to quickly draw his sword if need be.

  
“Thea, wait here for a moment, please,” Anthony said before continuing forward alone.

  
Inside the barge, Duncan felt the Buzz as well. Moving his hand to pick up his sword, he waited and listened. One set of footsteps, or is it two? No, it’s one person walking and a second shifting their position. One of the benefits of the cobblestones being the noise that they make. Then the walking person stops, near the gangway from the sounds of it. Then comes a whistle and Duncan smiles, setting the sword down before leaving the cabin of the barge and going outside.

  
“Duncan MacLeod of the clan MacLeod,” Anthony said as he walks up with gangway and embraces his old friend.

  
“It’s good to see you, too,” Duncan replied, as he looked over Anthony and spotted the young woman standing about 40 feet away. “And who’s this?”

  
“That is Thea Queen. We escaped from the mess that happened in Starling City together. She’s seen the worst of me and for some reason she decided to stay with me.”

  
“What do you mean she’s seen the worst of you?”

  
“She watched me kill two of those people,” Anthony said softly. “And yet, she later asked where I was going. When I told her Paris, she just said that’s pretty far away and gave me a look that was just short of begging me to take her with me.”

  
“How’s that working out?” Duncan asked him, giving him a measured look.

  
“We’re getting to know one another, as friends. Like I said, she’s seen the worst of me.”

  
“And have you told her yet?”

  
Anthony just looked at his friend, knowing exactly what he’s asking. Has he told her about Immortals and that she might become one as well. Anthony sighs before giving a brief shake of his head.

  
“How about some introductions,” Duncan said with a smile, looking over at where Thea stands nervously waiting.

  
“Thea,” Anthony calls, waving a hand to her. When she approaches, the pair of men walk down the gangway to meet her on the quay.

  
“Thea Queen, meet Duncan MacLeod.”

  
“Nice to meet you, Mr. MacLeod. Anthony’s been telling me all about you, so it’s nice to finally have a face to go with the stories,” Thea said, laughing at the look that passes between the pair.  
“Nothing bad, I hope,” Duncan says as he takes her hand.

  
“Not a thing, which kind of makes me curious. Are you perfect or what?”

  
Duncan laughed at that, as did Anthony while Thea just flashed a delighted smile. She found that she liked Anthony’s friend, who was the classic tall, dark and handsome. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a dark button down shirt, with his hair in a pony tail. Tony was a good five inches shorter than Duncan, she guessed looking at the pair.

  
“Well, why don’t we go inside and if you’d like, I’ll tell you things about Anthony. Although that might take more than a day,” Duncan said with a grin. “How long are you going to be in Paris?”

  
“A week, perhaps,” Anthony replied, not liking the light that came to his friend’s eyes. “Why?”

  
“Oh, just that Amanda should be back tomorrow.”

  
The tone was so innocent, but gleeful at the same time. Anthony wanted to scream, to turn and walk straight off the barge, to run away. Yet, he valued his friendship with Duncan and felt somewhat bad that it had been almost 60 years since they had last spent any real time together. But Amanda, why for the love of God did she have to be in town at the same time.

  
“Come on, you’re not still angry about that,” Duncan remarked.

  
“Damn right, I am,” Anthony told him. ‘And you know why!”

  
“She did apologize afterwards.”

  
“Yeah, after the police ransacked my house and I spent a week in custody while they verified that I had legitimately purchased everything in the house.”

  
Thea couldn’t help herself, she just had to laugh at the expression on Anthony’s face. Before she could open her mouth to ask who Amanda was, she saw the expressions on both men’s faces change. Both seemed to look around slightly, then Duncan relaxed as they all heard footsteps on the gangway. The sound of the heels told Thea that it was a woman and she was curious as to what type of woman would be visiting.

  
“MacLeod,” came a light voice, as the door opened to reveal a stunning brunette of about 35. The woman was dressed in a black pantsuit, with a cream colored silk blouse and a gold chain around her neck. “Oh, you have company.”

  
“Amanda,” Duncan said, going over to give her a kiss and hug before turning to where Anthony and Thea were standing. Thea had a grin on her face as she turned slightly to be able to watch Anthony.

  
“Tony?!?”

  
“Amanda,” was the flat reply that came from Anthony.

  
“Is he still angry about that?” Amanda asked Duncan. “I mean it was ages ago and I said I was sorry.”

  
“Sorry? Do you know how long it took me to get all of my things back!!”

  
“I wasn’t my fault. Tell him, Duncan.”

  
“Leave me out of this, both of you,” Duncan said from where he was standing.

  
“Oh, so I guess that the good fairy lead the police to my front door looking for you,” Anthony ground out. “Not two hours after you left to go to wherever.”

  
“I just have to know,” Thea said, causing all three Immortals to look at her, “what happened that brought the police to your house, Anthony?”

  
“Well, it was just a misunderstanding. This police inspector wanted to put my cute little butt in jail for some reason and got the idea that I was staying with Tony,” Amanda told her.

  
“How about the actual truth, Amanda,” Anthony cut in. “Like the fact that the police inspector had been following you through four countries and wanted you on about twenty counts of burglary, everything from high end jewels to paintings.”

  
“Now do I look like the kind of lady who would do such a thing?”

  
The too innocent expression on her face was just too much, causing the rest of them to laugh. Thea was enjoying herself, just watching these old friends reconnecting. In some ways, they reminded her of Ollie, Laurel and Tommy. Though, she changed that to more like Laurel, Laurel and Tommy after thinking about it, as both Duncan and Anthony seemed more serious, while Amanda struck her as someone who was always the center of attention.

  
“Tony, who’s your friend?” Amanda asked, having not been there when Duncan and Thea met.

  
“This is Thea Queen. Thea, this is Amanda Darieux.”

  
“Nice to meet you, Thea.”

  
“You too, Amanda,” Thea said with a smile. “So, how long have you all known each other?”

  
“An eternity,” Anthony said.

  
“Oh, it only seems that way, Tony,” Amanda replied. “But, I have to ask. How long are you going to be in Paris?”

  
“Just a little while, then on to Aquitaine, I think.”

  
“Aquitaine?”

  
“Oh, Thea. You’ll love his house there. It’s secluded and the views are magnificent.”

  
Thea smile at the thought. In so many ways, that was exactly what she had been looking for when she was leaving Starling City. Just a place to get away and rebuild her life out of the ashes left. In the last roughly seven years she lost the man she’d always known as her father, watched her mother murdered right in front of her, been told that a psychopathic murderer was her blood father and found that her brother was lying to her more often than not, to the point where she had to question everything he’d ever told her.

  
“We could go with them, MacLeod,” Amanda said with a sly grin, tossing a wink at Thea as she got the reaction she was counting on out of Anthony.

  
“Not on your life,” Anthony ground out between clinched teeth. “Having you there once was more than enough.”

  
“I’d love to, but I’ve got to get the barge ready to sell,” Duncan said to her.

  
“How long have you lived here?” Thea asked.

  
“Twenty years or so.”

  
Twenty years? Thea looked closer at Duncan, her face taking on a thoughtful look as she tried to come up with a logical explanation. Had he lived here with his parents or was he just one of those super lucky people who looked younger than they actually were. Because she was certain that he could be no more than 35 just going on how he looked. So engrossed in her thoughts was Thea that she missed the look that passed between the three Immortals.

  
Amanda had sensed Thea’s pre-immortality and had wondered if Tony had told her about Immortals yet. Now, after watching her, she knew that he hadn’t and was curious to see if he would. Duncan too was wondering if his friend would bit the bullet and tell the young woman or if Anthony would do as he had done with Claudia and let Thea live her life not knowing until she had to be told. Though Duncan still remembered Claudia’s anger when she had found out that he had known all that time and never warned her. So, a small part of him wondered if it wouldn’t be better if Anthony told the young woman now and gave her time to be prepared. Or would it lead Thea to do something reckless, knowing that if she did die, it would only serve as the trigger for her immortality.

  
It was the look on Anthony’s face, however, that was the most interesting. The play of emotions as he went from sadness and regret to hope and love before finally ending in a resolute calm. That look told Duncan and Amanda that their friend had reached a decision, but not what that decision was. Duncan had seen his friend like this before, where all emotions had been pushed aside and all that remained was the mind. It was one of the things that had made Anthony such a brilliant military leader. A smile crossed Duncan’s face as he remembered some of the epic chess matches between Anthony and their late friend Darius.

  
“Thea, before you agree to come with me, there’s something I need to tell you,” Anthony finally said, turning so that he was facing her. “And I’ll understand if this changes your mind.”

  
“Whatever it is, you can tell me. One of the things that drove me to leave home was all the lies and secrets,” Thea told him, as she took his hand in her. She’d enjoyed the last couple of weeks with Anthony and knew she was beginning to develop feelings for him.

  
“I’m not exactly who you think I am, what you think I am.”

  
“This isn’t your way of telling me that you’re the vigilante, is it?”

  
“No,” was all Anthony said as he bent down to pick up a small knife that was on the table in front of the couch, causing Thea to take a step backward, now uncertain of what was going on. Anthony let her move slightly away before he held his hand up to stop her. Duncan and Amanda watched silently, knowing or more guessing what he was about to do. Taking the knife, Anthony cut deeply into his left hand then held it downward so that Thea could see the blood flowing out of the wound and onto the wood floor.

  
“What did you do that for,” Thea shouted as she grabbed a dish cloth from the kitchen counter and went to wrap it around the wounded hand. Except that when she got there, the blood was barely trickling out of the wound and it certainly looked less severe than she would have expected. As she watched, Thea could see the wound healing itself. Looking from the wound to Anthony to Duncan and on to Amanda, she saw that they were all watching her. In fact, the only one who seemed to be in any form of amazement over what had just happened was her.

  
“Because if I just told you, if any of us just told you, you would think that we were crazy. But seeing it, watching as it happens, hopefully will be enough to let you listen with an open mind and accept what I tell you. I am an Immortal. I was born a Roman citizen in northern Italy and I’ve been alive for almost 2200 years. Duncan was born in 1592 in Scotland and Amanda around 820 AD.”

  
“Wait,” Thea said, having collapsed onto the couch stunned. “Are you telling me all three of you are immortal? And that you are older than the pair of them combined. But what I really don’t understand is why you’re telling me all of this?”

  
“Because there’s more,” Anthony told her. “Until the time of our first death, we live like mortals. But that first death, if it is not a natural death, then triggered our immortality. One of the things that comes with our immortality is an ability to sense other Immortals who are nearby. We can also somewhat sense those who are, for lack of a better word, pre-immortals. Meaning those who could become immortal were they to die unnaturally.”

  
“What do you mean by unnaturally?”

  
“Lots of things. Duncan and I were both killed in battle, while Amanda was caught stealing from a plague house and beaten to death. Other Immortals have died from being poisoned, shot, stabbed, run over by a car. Basically, any violent death you can think of would trigger a pre-immortal to become an immortal.”

  
“And were your parents also immortals?” Thea asked, both out of curiosity and some hope that her mother wasn’t actually dead, because the only reason that she could think of for them to mention pre-immortals was if she was one.

  
“We are all foundlings,” Duncan said. “The families we have aren’t our blood.”

  
“So, my mother wasn’t really my mother? But then how did they have DNA results and stuff that showed I am Malcolm Merlyn’s daughter? And why would my mother have said that I was?”

  
“I can’t answer that,” Anthony told her, sitting down next to her as he sensed that this was all becoming too much for the young woman. He was now somewhat curious as to the answer to that, as well. Not having lived in Starling City, he didn’t know anything about Merlyn other than that he was behind the devastation of part of the city and was reported to have been killed at the same time. And, as Thea’s mother was also deceased, he doubted that an answer would be easy to find.

  
The more Thea thought about it, the more that at least made sense. She’d noticed when she was growing up how little she looked like either of her parents. Yes, she did look a little like her supposed father Malcolm, it was mostly in their hair color. And in some ways, it made her leaving a little easier.


	2. Chapter 2

June 6, 2014  
Corto Maltese

Malcolm Merlyn disconnected the phone call and sighed in frustration. He’d been forced to leave Central City when he’d detected the League of Assassins beginning to close in. This had meant that he had needed some local hires to keep an eye on Thea, at least until he could get her. Now, all of his plans were in jeopardy, not to mention that Thea could be at risk as well if the League knew she was his daughter. Ra’s would have no hesitation in kidnapping her to get to Malcolm and exact his vengeance, Malcolm knew.

  
Instead, Thea and the man she was with had disappeared. Even worse was that after two weeks of shadowing, his people were no closer to learning the man’s identity than they had been when the pair left Starling City. They had some photographs, but nothing matched in any database searched so far. The name on the condo that he and Thea had been staying at was a complete blank, not even a credit history worth its name.

  
Now, the pair had vanished, if the report was to be believed. The man who had been following them could only tell him that they had gone to the Central City airport and gone through security, but as he didn’t have a boarding pass for a flight himself, he hadn’t been able to follow any further. Malcolm at least gave the man points for not causing a scene by trying to bluff his way through security and he had tried to get the information out of the airline staff who had checked them in.

  
Standing up, Malcolm left his office and went through the house to a large open space. Another man was waiting for him there, dressed in protective gear for sword practice. Taking a few moments to dress and collect a wooden sword, the pair squared off. What followed was twenty minutes of sheer poetry, as they went back and forth. Malcolm was much better than the other man, but the other man still managed to catch him by surprise every so often. The strikes were quick and hard while also appearing effortless. The sparring would have gone on even longer if the phone hadn’t rung, taking Malcolm’s attention away. A wave of dismissal sent the other man from the room, while Malcolm went to retrieve his cell phone.

  
“Yes?”

  
“The pair you were asking about,” came the voice of his man in Starling City. “They arrived back at Nanda Parbat last night.”

  
“So, the heir to the Demon and her bitch finally went home,” Malcolm said with a sneer that could be plainly heard in his voice. He’d long believed that everyone had a weakness and he knew that Nyssa Al Ghul’s was Sara Lance. It was something he fully intended to exploit if he could, hopeful that he could contrive a situation where he could keep his own hands clean or at least reasonably so.

  
“Our people there report that Ra’s is still looking for you, but that you are not the most urgent of his concerns at this time.”

  
Malcolm smiled at that, for he well knew what the most urgent of the Demon’s Head’s concerns were. The waters of the Lazarus Pit were no longer working to keep death at bay. And as that eventuality came nearer, Ra’s had begun to have doubts about his daughter as the heir. Malcolm knew that those doubts lay squarely in the relationship between Nyssa and Sara, which Ra’s saw as making her weak.

  
Malcolm suspected that Ra’s was looking for another person, someone he deemed worthy of being his heir. He could well imagine Nyssa’s reaction to being passed over. He planned to use all of that to not only free himself from the blood debt but also to throw the League into disarray over the next Ra’s. Now, however, he needed to come up with a new plan, or at least a backup plan. The one thing he did not want to be doing is spending the rest of his life running from Ra’s and the League, because that wasn’t really living.

  
“And they know to report any time either of those two leave?”

  
“Yes, Sir,” was all the man said.

  
“Good. Now, I need your people to find my daughter and bring her to me,” Malcolm told the man.

  
“By any means necessary?”

  
“My daughter is not to be harmed, but do what you have to do.”

  
With those words, Malcolm hung up the phone.

June 6, 2014  
Starling City

Oliver Queen was still asleep when his phone beeped, alerting him that a text message had come in. Groaning, he reached for the offending object. Glancing at the screen, he didn’t recognize the number and put the phone back down before going back to sleep.

  
It was a few hours later that he finally got up for the day and made his way from his makeshift living quarters. The reality of his situation smacked him square in the face, as it had for the last few days. He and the others had gotten their lair back together, but Oliver was basically broke. Everything that he had had was lost: Queen Consolidated, Verdant, Queen Manor. In many ways, he understood where Tommy had been the year before, except that all of this was Oliver’s fault.

  
Now, he was sleeping on a cot in the back of the lair, eating canned food prepared on a hotplate. Felicity was working a minimum wage job at a computer store, which was barely enough for her to afford her apartment. They were working on a plan to get Queen Consolidated back, but Oliver felt that it was something of a long-shot. Part of his mood was due to Thea being gone, he knew. Even though he’d been the one who’d told her to go, he still missed his sister and longed to hear from her.

  
Realizing that he was falling into a funk, Oliver went over to the Salmon ladder and started to work out. After doing 10 sets, he dropped down after the last and picked up his bow and quiver. Moving quickly, he knocked over 2 canisters on tennis balls and begin letting arrows fly. By the time he was done, there were still 6 arrows in his quiver and all of the yellow balls were pinned to the far wall. Oliver put the bow and quiver back before going through the process of retrieving his arrows and the tennis balls.

  
His workout finished, Oliver was somewhat pleased to find himself feeling better. He went to the small bathroom at the back of the lair and turned on the shower. He was quick, because he couldn’t be sure if Diggle was going to show up today or if Felicity or Laurel might stop in to check on him. Twenty minutes later, he was dressed in jeans and a button down shirt sitting at the steel table in the center of the lair, a bowl of beef stew before him.

  
A buzz from his cell phone caught him as he was finishing the bowl. The number on the screen wasn’t one he was familiar with, it wasn’t even local. Taking a chance, he answered it.

  
“Hello?”

  
“Ollie?” came a voice he’d missed.

  
“Hi, Speedy,” Oliver said, the smile on his face matched by the happiness in his voice. “How are you?”

  
“I’m doing good, Ollie. Watching the sunset with some new friends,” Thea said. “I tried texting you earlier?”

  
“Sorry, I was asleep.”

  
“Late night or just tired?”

  
“A little of both,” Oliver replied with a laugh. “Where are you, anyways?”

  
“Oh, Europe,” Thea told him, purposely keeping it vague.

  
“Can you be a little more specific?”

  
“I could, but I won’t be. Not right now. Listen, I’ve got to go, but I promise I’ll keep in touch.”

  
The line clicked off before Ollie could say anything more, leaving him to contemplate the way that the call had ended. When they were talking about generalities, his sister’s tone had been light and breezy, typical Thea. But when he’d pushed for something specific, that changed. She became more closed off, her voice tighter, almost harsh, and that was more the Thea he’d caught glimpses of when he’d first come home. When he was trying to stop her from following the path she was on.

  
Oliver looked at the phone and saw the waiting text message. So, he thumbed it up and selected it. Looking at the number it came from, he saw it was the same as the call. Grabbing a pen and paper, he wrote down the number, certain that Felicity could trace it for him. For now, he moved to the message itself.

  
“Ollie, I’m going to say somethings. I was weak. And I don’t want to be weak anymore. I need to be strong. I was also trusting, but I don’t trust you anymore. I don’t know what the actual truth is, but I do know you’ve never told it to me and I doubt that you ever will. So, I’ve gone away, to try to learn to trust again. Don’t try to find me, because you won’t. Goodbye for now, Thea.”

  
Oliver put the phone down after reading the text a second time, breathing heavily as he fought to keep his emotions in check after reading her message. It finally hit him that Slade hadn’t truly taken everything from him. Rather, he had done it all on his own, Slade had just provided the push. His own bad decisions had doomed Queen Consolidated and Verdant, his failure with Queen Consolidated had meant the loss of the family fortune and home. His mother’s death traced back to his failure to save Slade from the Marikuru when he’d had the chance, to save Shado from Ivo. Sara was trapped back in the League because she’d had to offer herself up to help him save the city. And now, all of the lies he’d been telling since his return had cost him the only family he’d had left.

June 7, 2014  
Paris, France

Thea stumbled out of her room, going to the suite’s door. Last night was something of a blur. The four of them had stayed at Duncan’s, sitting on the deck of the barge watching the sunset. Then it was off to a late dinner, following by drinks and blues at a little bar. There, they’d been joined by an elderly man whom Duncan had called “Joe”. It turned out he was the bar’s owner and greeted both Duncan and Amanda with obvious affection.

  
They had stayed until closing time, then she and Anthony had headed back to the hotel. Duncan and Amanda stayed to help Joe, with promises to get together tomorrow or the next day. Looking through the peep hole, Thea saw Amanda standing there. Opening the door, she was surprised to find the other woman was alone.

  
“Good morning, Thea,” Amanda said as she came in. “Did I wake you?”

  
“Sort of,” Thea told her. “Though I should thank you for that, because otherwise I’d probably have slept until tomorrow.”

  
“Jet lag and then we kept you out so late last night.”

  
Thea couldn’t help but laugh, finding herself liking Amanda more and more.

  
“How about I make it up to you with some brunch and then a little sightseeing,” Amanda suggested.

  
“Let me just get Anthony….” Thea started to say.

  
“Oh, Anthony and Duncan are gone. They wanted to work out some. That’s another reason I came.”

  
Thea looked a little surprised at that, then her eyes took in the sheet of hotel paper that was sitting on the little table in front of the windows. Going over and picking it up, she found it was a note from Anthony telling her much the same thing. It was somewhat perfectly placed too, as the room service menu was also on the table.

  
“Give me a few to shower and get dressed, please.”

  
“Take your time, Paris certainly isn’t going anywhere,” Amanda said with a laugh.

  
While Thea was taking her shower, halfway across the city in an old warehouse Duncan and Anthony were sparring. Duncan had the physical edge, being both taller and having a longer reach, but Anthony had the edge when it came to experience being five times the age of his younger friend. That experience was serving him well, as the pair of katana clashed against one another.

  
As Duncan slashed another cut aimed for Anthony’s midsection, the older man stepped back to let the strike pass before striking at the exposed wrist. The blow knocked the sword from his opponent’s hand, which was quickly followed by a full slash towards the neck. Anthony stopped the strike mere inches from target, a grin crossing his face while a grimace formed on Duncan’s lips as he looked at the blade hovering there while his own sword was useless on the ground.

  
“Again?” Anthony asked as he pulled his sword away and bent to retrieve Duncan’s.

  
“Like I haven’t gotten my ass kicked enough already?” Duncan asked back with a laugh.

  
“But are you learning anything? Because that’s why we’re doing this.”

  
“Yeah, I’m learning. Considering that you have no style, no pattern. One second was like traditional Japanese, the next was more Spanish or maybe Moorish.”

  
“Duncan, I’ve had many teachers over the course of my lifetime, just as I have taught many students. You don’t think that as I’ve learning new things, new techniques, I haven’t blended them to what I already knew,” Anthony told him.

  
“I know and I know that I’m somewhat bad at that,” Duncan said, knowing that he all to often stuck with the more oriental forms he’d learned. He’d always felt that they went best with the sword he preferred. Now, after two hours of going against Anthony, who was using virtually the same sword, Duncan was beginning to understand his mistake.

  
The katana was a two handed sword, where using both hands gave one better control. However, Anthony had repeatedly demonstrated that he could make that blade sing while only using one hand. Nor had it mattered whether it was the left or the right that was holding the sword, as Duncan had learned when he’d successfully blocked a thrust, only to find the opposite hand clinched in a fist aimed straight at his throat. Duncan was forced to jump backwards, allowing another thrust of the sword to catch his arm while he recovered his footing.

  
Now, as the pair faced off again, Duncan went with a low guard while Anthony stood there, a grin on his face and his katana held low at his left side. Taking a moment, Duncan slid forward with his sword leading the way. Still, Anthony didn’t move, just watched and waited. When the first strike came, it was quick, but the sword by Anthony’s side still blocked it, then came back for a quick slash of its own. Duncan was instantly on the defensive and never able to get off it, especially when Anthony’s right hand joined the action, now holding a jet black Bowie knife. Using the katana, he forced Duncan to move one way, then used the knife to go for cuts to the legs or side.

  
“When did you add that,” Duncan asked once they were done.

  
“About 200 years ago,” Anthony told him, a grin on his face. “You’d be surprised how useful having a little friend can be.”

  
“Not sure I’d call that a little friend.”

  
“Compared to the katana, it is. Compared to most other knifes, yeah, it’s big.”

  
“Come on, let’s get out of here. We’ll have enough time of a shower and shave before we need to catch up with Amanda and Thea for a late lunch,” Duncan said before collecting his sword and shirt.

  
Thea and Amanda were having a wonderful time of it, as they walked along the Champs-Elysees. They each had at least 2 shopping bags. Thea sported a new pair of sunglasses, which matched the pair that Amanda had already, and both women had purchased floppy hats to shield their faces as they were out in the sun. They had already seen the Eiffel tower and the Arc de Triomphe, going to the top of both. Amanda had happily taken pictures of Thea against the Paris skyline and even allowed Thea to take a few of her as well.

  
Spotting a cafe up ahead, Amanda nudged Thea and nodded her head. Getting an enthusiastic response, the older of the pair lead the way to a sidewalk table. After the pair was settled, a waiter came over and set down 2 glasses and a carafe of water, then waited for a moment.

  
“Two coffees and some cream on the side, please,” Amanda said in excellent French.

  
Once the waiter went for the coffees, Amanda took her time watching Thea. The whole morning had been fun, more fun than she’d had in years, if she was being perfectly honest with herself. A lot of that came from seeing the world through the eyes of someone seeing it for the first time, rather than as something old and familiar, which is how she and Duncan saw the city. Then there was Thea herself. The young woman just had an energy about her, even after everything she’d been through.

  
The pair had talked a lot as they’d been out, with Thea opening up about all the things that had driven her from Starling City. Amanda had even held the young woman as she’d cried while talking about the murder of her mother, even if it had been a long time since she herself had truly mourned the loss of someone close. They’d also talked, quietly, about Immortals. Amanda was able to provide Thea with a woman’s perspective and even offered to help train her when the time came. Amanda knew some tricks that she thought would benefit the younger woman.

  
The coffees were delivered at the same time that Duncan and Anthony walked past them, missing the two beautiful women partly hidden by the sunglasses and floppy brimmed hats that they wore. Amanda grinned as Thea took one of the sugar cubes and tossed it at Anthony, catching him in the back of the neck. Turning, he was greeted by the sight of the two women laughing, with Thea trying and failing to look innocent. What struck him at that moment, with the sunlight just right, was how incredibly beautiful Thea was. The force of it stopped him dead in his tracks.

  
Duncan, being behind Anthony, missed the look that came to his friend’s face, but Amanda certainly didn’t. Her grin changed, becoming a smile of joy as she looked between Tony and Thea. Thea was young, but she was certainly old enough to understand what she was seeing on Anthony’s face. She stood and walked over to him, one hand reaching up and removing her sunglasses. Her green eyes locked onto his hazel ones as she stood before him, pausing a moment before leaning in and kissing him. Neither of them paid any notice to the fact that they were more or less blocking the sidewalk, nor the looks on Duncan and Amanda’s faces. In that moment, it was just the pair of them.

  
When they finally separated, they were faced with the knowing grins on their friends’ faces. Thea blushed a little, as she quickly put her sunglasses back on, hoping that they would provide some measure of cover for the look in her eyes. Anthony had no such defense, so he elected to just accept that fact that he and Thea had just acted like a pair of love struck kids. Besides, the way he was feeling about her, he didn’t currently give a damn if the whole world knew.

  
“So, how was your morning,” Amanda asked Anthony once he and Thea were seated.

  
“It was good, for me at least,” Anthony told her with a laugh, looking at Duncan. “But Duncan might not agree.”

  
“Did he win once, at the very least?”

  
The look on Duncan’s face was all either Thea or Amanda needed to see to know that he had not.

  
“He’s devious,” was all Duncan would say.

  
“No, Duncan. It’s that you live and fight by a code that was trendy when you were a kid.”

  
“Would you rather that I have no code at all?”

  
“I would rather that you live,” Anthony said. “I’m devious because my code is simple: survive. If that means having a hidden knife, so be it. If it means going after an opponent who’s down, I will without any feelings or remorse, because I know that they would do the same if our positions were reversed.”

  
Duncan looked like he wanted to argue the point for a moment, before he was stopped by Amanda’s hand on his. She’d heard similar arguments between the pair before and could see some truth in both sides. Part of what she loved about Duncan was his code of honor, because it made him predictable in many ways. It also made him somewhat easy to manipulate, which is why she could see Anthony’s point of view. It was also the code she had embraced long ago, focusing on her survival above all else. At least until she’d met Duncan.

  
“So, Thea, did you and Amanda have fun,” Duncan asked.

  
“We did, thank you. She took me to the Eiffel tower and then the Arc so we could act like a couple of tourists, then we went shopping,” Thea told them, the grin on her face suggesting that the ladies had parted with a good sum of money.

  
It was the matching grin on Amanda’s face that had Anthony reaching for his wallet. He almost relaxed when he felt it in his pocket, until he saw her grin widen. Opening the wallet, he saw that the cash was still there, but one of his credit cards was missing. He should have known, willing to bet she’d lifted the wallet this morning when he’d stopped by the barge to meet Duncan.

  
“You said the outfits were your treat!”

  
The look on Thea’s face was a mixture of guilt and anger. As much as she liked the outfits that she’d bought, she couldn’t help feeling like she had basically stolen from Anthony to get them. Which is why she was angry with Amanda, for lying to her about it. She was now wondering what else the other woman had lied to her about and whether the entire day had been nothing but one giant lie.

  
A brief glance passed between Anthony and Duncan before Anthony stood, picked up Thea’s bags and led the young woman from the cafe. He flagged down a taxi for the drive to their hotel. Thea didn’t speak a word the entire ride, which told him all he needed to know. Once they reached their suite, he settled her on the couch of the living room before carrying her bags into her room. Putting them on the bed, he came back out, stopping to get a bottle of water from the small refrigerator.

  
“Talk to me, Thea,” Anthony said gently, suspecting some of what was going on with her.

  
“Why did she have to lie to me,” Thea asked softly. “Was it all a lie?”

  
“I don’t think it was all a lie. I don’t even think she intentionally lied to you. Amanda just did what she always does. She’s been a thief basically her entire life. I should have known that she’d lift a card off of me when she said she was taking you out this morning.”

  
“We can take it all back if you want.”

  
“If I had been there, would you have asked if you could get what you bought,” Anthony asked her.

  
“Maybe,” Thea said, “though I probably would have felt like a leech doing so.”

  
“Do you think I would have wanted you to buy what you got if I had been there?”

  
“Well, I could always show you what I bought and you decide.”

  
Anthony smiled at that, as much from the thought of seeing what Thea had bought as from the change in her mood. Thea saw the smile and returned it with one of her own, as she got up off the couch and walked into her bedroom. Taking a few moments to remove the clothes from their bags, she selected the first outfit that she would show him. Changing quickly, she walked out into the living room of the suite wearing a burgundy silk camisole top and black slacks. The outfit revealed the curves of her body without doing more than teasing at them. The look on Anthony’s face was all she needed to know he approved of the outfit, so she went back for the second.

  
Outfit two was a little black dress that showcased her long legs to perfection, Thea felt. A part of her wanted something so that they could go out to a nice restaurant, possibly somewhere with dancing as she reflected on the thought more. Walking back out into the living room, she was rewarded by an appreciative look on Anthony’s face as he took her in. Twirling around, she showed off the low cut back, getting a moan from Anthony. Snapping her head around quickly, she could see the desire painted clearly on his face, which in turn increased her own.

  
Walking towards him, Thea decided to let her feelings lead the way. So, she straddled him and leaned in for a kiss. The desire that they both were feeling meant that the kiss was rough and hungry, each seeking to devour the other while their tongues dueled for control. Anthony’s hands were in her hair, pulling her to him so that he could deepen the kiss. Only a need to breath finally pushed them apart, their eyes locked on each other.

  
Taking care not to rip her new dress in her haste, Thea pulled the garment over her head. Seated as she was in Anthony’s lap, she could definitely feel his reaction as her body was revealed. The only clothing she still wore were a pair of black thong panties. Anthony slid his hands under Thea, then stood up. She instantly had her arms clasped behind his neck and her legs wrapped around him as he carried her to his bedroom.


	3. Chapter 3

June 8, 2014  
near Bordeaux, France

Thea was looking out the window of the car as Anthony drove them through the village. This was so much the opposite of either Starling City or Paris, yet more perfect than either of them could be. There were a few people out on the main street. The French she had taken in high school allowed her to identify the little businesses.

“We’ll be coming back later, Thea. But I want to make sure everything is ready at the house before we bring in food and such,” Anthony told her.

“How much further to your house?”

“About 5 minutes. It’s on the other side of the village.”

True to his word, almost 5 minutes later and they were turning off the road onto a driveway. There was a stone wall across the front of the property, she saw, but the gate was now gone. Looking back, she corrected herself. The gate was still there, just folded back against the wall. Turning her attention back forward, Thea’s mouth dropped open as the house came into view. The chateau was more than she could have imagined when she’d heard about his house. This conjured to mind thoughts of castles, especially with the tower.

Anthony pulled in front of the chateau and stepped out of the car, as a couple come from inside. He went over to get the door for Thea while the man went to the trunk of the car and removed their luggage. The woman held the front door open for them before joining the man to bring the luggage inside and on upstairs to their bedrooms. While they were doing that, Anthony led Thea from the entrance hall through the dinning room and on to the sitting room. He smiled slightly at the bottle of wine and plate of cheese that had been put out for them.

Anthony opened the bottle and poured two glasses, while Thea looked around the room. There were all the modern conveniences, like a flat screen TV with a DVD player and a telephone. Yet, if she ignored those, it was easy to imagine she had step back in time a couple of centuries. The chateau just felt old, but not in a bad way.

“Mister Rossi, your luggage has been left in your room. And yours, miss, is in the first guest room near the top of the stairs,” the man told them as the couple came back down.

“We went to the village this morning and got about a week’s worth of groceries,” the woman said.

“Thank you, Claudia. And you as well, Jean. I’ll visit your father in the morning to talk about everything,” Anthony said. “But, please be sure to pass on my thanks to him and your mother as well.”

“I will, Mister Rossi,” Jean told them with a nod of his head before he and Claudia left the room.

“Let me show you to your room, then I’ll come back down and work on getting a late lunch together for us.”

Taking the circular stairway up to the second floor, as Thea thought of it, he lead her down a short hallway, then turned right and opened the first door on the left. Inside was a Queen sized bed made out of oak, along with a matching dresser. A flat screen TV was mounted on the wall facing the bed, while a pair of chairs framed the window. Her two suitcases were laying on the bed, so she set about unpacking them while Anthony left the room and went up the stairs to the attic.

The attic had been renovated over a century ago, with a large portion of it given over to a space he used to train in during the winter or if it was raining outside. A set of bokken were on a rack, next to a set of katana and a pair of Roman Gladius. Taking one of the bokken, he removed his shoes and stepped into the middle of the room. There he began going through a series of katas, practicing movements that have become muscle memory over the centuries. Next, he progressed into more free flowing techniques, the bokken moving in a blur of cuts, parries, thrusts and recovers.

It was an hour later that Thea finally found him, after searching the rest of the house. She stood silently in the doorway, watching the movements. As she did so, her mind flashed back to the train station. She never wanted to feel that helpless again, so dependent on someone coming to save her. She was pulled from her mind when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Blinking, she found Anthony standing in front of her, quietly regarding her.

“Would you like to try?” he asked her, holding the bokken out slightly.

A smile came to Thea’s face as she took the offered weapon, holding it somewhat awkwardly while Anthony went a retrieved the second bokken. Once he came back to her, he taught her how to properly grip the wooden sword. Ready, he started slowly, having her mirror his movements and making corrections as necessary. He enjoyed the smile on her face, which never faded even as she got frustrated at times. Still, she was learning, moving quickly on to combinations of movements.

It was only the fading of the light through the windows as well as a feeling of hunger that finally made them stop. Thea’s top was soaked in sweat, her long hair somewhat matted to her face. Reclaiming the bokken, he gently brushed the hair from her face.

“Go and take a quick shower. I’ll meet you downstairs and we’ll fix something for dinner,” Anthony told her.

After returning the bokken to the spots they had previously occupied, Anthony followed Thea downstairs. Entering his bedroom, he swiftly undressed and headed for the adjoining bathroom. A quick shower later and dressed in a comfortable pair of khakis and blue polo, he made his way down to the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, he smiled as he found the benefits of Claudia’s efforts. Seeing a pair of chicken breasts, he removed those and placed the platter on the counter top behind him. These were joined by a head of lettuce, a block of cheddar cheese and a handful of eggs.

Filling a pot of water, he set that to boil while he quickly shredded the head of lettuce. The sound of footsteps behind him announced Thea’s presence, as well as the scent of her perfume. Turning slightly, he grabbed the cheese grater, the block of cheese and a bowl and handed them to the young woman.

“How much should I make,” Thea asked as she took what was offered.

“How hungry are you and how much do you like cheese on your salads,” Anthony replied. “I like a little and I’m pretty hungry after all the exercise.”

With that, Thea started working the block over the grater, which she’d placed in the bowl. Anthony finished with the lettuce and put the eggs in the boiling water. He next moved to finding something to go with the chicken breasts, finally deciding on some rice pilaf. He found that he was enjoying himself as he cooked with Thea. He had her slicing up the hard boiled eggs to add to their salads, as well as some cherry tomatoes and a couple of onions. By the time she had all of that done, the chicken breasts only had a couple of minutes left on the grill top and the rice was done.

While the chicken finished up, he should her where the plates, glasses and silverware were stored and asked her to set the table. Moving the food from the counter to the table was quickly done. Anthony put a chicken breast on each of their plates before taking the serving platter back to the counter. Thea quickly filled her plate with rice and a small bowl with salad, adding cheese, onions and diced egg along with a little of the dressing, a red wine vinaigrette that was in a glass jar without a label.

“Claudia makes that,” Anthony told her as he sat down and began loading his plate. “It’s better than anything I’ve ever gotten in a store, because it’s seasoned to taste. If you don’t like it, we can pick up something different from the grocer tomorrow.”

“It’s incredible,” Thea said after taking a bite of her salad. “Do you think I could get the recipe from her?”

“I doubt it. It’s a family secret, passed from mother to daughter. Claudia’s father Paul told me even he doesn’t know the recipe.”

“So, any plans for tomorrow?”

“We’ll go into the village. I need to meet with Paul about the property here, as well as some other business. You can wander the village, do a little shopping if you like or just enjoy how nice and peaceful it is here. We’ll likely be invited to lunch with Paul and his family, afterwards,” Anthony told her.

“That sounds like fun. Do they know about, you know,” Thea asked, not sure how to phrase it.

“How old I really am? No. What I am, it needs to remain a secret.”

“But how do you explain to people? You know, you continuing to come back when you should be dead.”

“You don’t. When you die, you move on to another ‘life’. A different place, different people,” Anthony stated calmly.

“Then how do you explain this,” Thea said as she gestured around the room, clearly meaning the whole property.

“Elaborate deceptions. For this house, it belonged to my great-great uncle who died in the First World War. His brother, my great grandfather, was the beneficiary of his estate. The family spent a lot of money over the years keeping the house and lands up, while allowing the local broker to lease the house out. This last until 5 years ago, when it was decided that the property would now be my vacation home.”

“Meaning enough time had passed that no one would recognize you as your great-great uncle?”

“You’re catching on,” Anthony told her with a smile. “I have similar properties in several other countries, but most of the time they’re lost. Until a few centuries ago, we were lucky to move on with what we could carry in a wagon or on our backs.”

“And now, it’s what, bank accounts, trust funds and good estate attorneys,” Thea responded with a cheeky grin.

“Pretty much. Still, all of that is better than the alternative.”

Thea couldn’t think of a response to that, so she settled for silence. Once the meal was finished, the pair quickly handled the clean up before moving out to the main living area. Thea took the couch and picked up the television remote control, while Anthony continued on to the room beyond. He was only gone a couple of minutes, then returned with a book. Sitting down next to the young woman, he opened the book to read while she flipped through the channels until she found something to watch.

June 8, 2014  
Nanda Parbat 

Nyssa and Sara entered the great hall together, looking at the group of assassins that flanked Ra’s Al Ghul. The pair bowed and waited for their leader to acknowledge them. The last month had been a difficult one for Sara, especially. She didn’t regret the choice she had made. Going back to the League in return for their assistance in stopping Slade and his army had been the right thing to do, even if Ollie didn’t see it. But that was all in the past, in a different life. Now, there was only the League and the will of Ra’s Al Ghul.

“I have a mission for you,” Ra’s stated, regarding them carefully, especially Sara. It would be some time before he would begin to trust her again. Still, he knew that she could be a formidable weapon for the League, if used properly.

Nyssa remained motionless, waiting for him to continue. She could sense Sara wanting to ask what the mission was, but was wisely holding her tongue. She knew her father would continue in his own good time. Right now, he was judging them, judging Ta-er Al-Sahfer most of all. Nyssa knew her decision to release her beloved and then to go to her aid, even if it was conditioned on Ta-er Al-Sahfer's return to the League, would be held against her. Her father now wondering if her loyalty was to her beloved or to her father and the League.

Ra’s turned on his heel and motioned for the pair to follow him into his private study.

“I need you to find someone and bring them to me. They are not to be harmed.”

“Understood. What about anyone who is with them?” Nyssa asked.

“If possible, avoid permanent harm. The person you are going for is not necessarily an enemy, rather a pawn in a much bigger game,” Ra’s replied. “Everything we know as of three days ago is in this folder.”

With that, Nyssa took the folder before she and Sara bowed to Ra’s and left the room. It was a long walk through the compound until they reached Nyssa’s rooms. Going inside, the pair sat down at the small table and Nyssa laid the folder down. Once it was opened, Sara felt her blood run cold.

“What the fuck?” was all the blonde could get out as she looked down at the photo of Thea Queen.

“What is the matter, beloved?” Nyssa asked, not knowing what to make of the expression on the other woman’s face.

“That’s Oliver’s little sister, Nyssa. And now I’m supposed to bring her before Ra’s? For what purpose?”

Sara’s mind was running in a million different directions. Thoughts of why being at the forefront. Was it as a weapon against Oliver, the vigilante of Starling City? Or was it something else, something worse? As there were thoughts of what would happen to Thea once it was all over. If she knew anything from her time in the League, it was that outsiders weren’t supposed to know of the League. Would Thea be faced with the same decision that Sara had been almost 5 years ago, one of either joining the League or death?

Sara couldn’t help thinking of the little girl she used to babysit. She knew what the death of her father and the supposed death of her brother had done to her. Oliver had told her about the drinking and the drugs. Sara couldn’t help but wonder what something like joining the League would do to Thea. She knew what it had done to her.

Nyssa had had the displeasure of meeting Oliver Queen. She thought him to be childish in his arrogance and showed a stunning amount of weakness in not being prepared to do what needed to be done for his beloved Starling City. And while she didn’t have the connection that Sara did with young Thea Queen, she knew deep within her that she would do all that she could to protect the girl from what lay ahead.

Reading through the file, Nyssa quickly found the reason that her father wanted the young woman. The intake of breath from her beloved told her that Sara had seen it as well. This explained so much while also raising questions of its own. Did either Thea or Oliver know that Malcolm Merlyn was the young girl’s father? How far would Oliver go to protect his little sister?

“We’re going to have to fight Ollie,” Sara said, looking up from the file and at Nyssa.

“Surely the man will listen to reason,” Nyssa replied calmly, even as she recalled her experiences with the man and realized that outcome was highly unlikely.

“Nyssa, no he won’t. He’s lost his father in a shipwreck, watched Slade drive a sword through his mother’s heart and now you’re talking about putting his little sister, the only family he has left, in the middle of a blood feud between Ra’s and Malcolm Merlyn. And you are counting on him to listen to reason? What reason would ever be good enough to stop Oliver from protecting her? And if we were to get Thea and bring her back to Nanda Parbat, to keep him from following us here?”

“Beloved, from reading this it does not sound as if Thea is even in Starling City. One of our people traced her to Paris. It is believed that she is still in France, accompanied by a man we have not been able to identify yet. So, we will start in Paris and see if we can not pick up her trail.”

Sara looked back down at the file and resumed reading. Her disquiet did not disappear, but did lessen at the thought of not having to face Oliver. Especially not as she was taking his little sister away from him.

June 11, 2014  
near Bordeaux, France

Thea was sweating as she again defended herself from an attack by Anthony. Their days were beginning to fall into a pattern. Breakfast followed by physical exercise and running, then lunch followed by martial arts and sword work before dinner and either reading, watching TV or a movie before bed. A part of Thea thought that he’d put sword work after all the other exercise to make her more tired, a little weaker.

“Good, Thea. Just keep the guard a little higher,” Anthony said, stopping to come closer. He moved behind her and adjusted her form slightly, mostly her arms so that the bokken was protecting her neck more than her shoulders.

Stepping back into position, he attacked again. Thea could feel the difference, how the bokken took more of the weight of the blow. Then she quickly pivoted into an attack of her own and the pair were back to trading blows. Anthony held back, keeping his attacks and defenses more basic, as this was all about teaching her. Once she was tired, they would stop and he would then have an hour or so where he could work on his skills.

Anthony kept his eye on Thea, watching every movement. Her attacks were crisp, though slow. He could see that she was thinking before doing, which for now was fine. That was why they were training, so that eventually all of this became muscle memory, things that her body would do without having to be told ‘right hand goes here, legs shift like so.’

After one final attack from Thea, he raised his hand and called out, “Stop!”

Thea lowered her bokken and stood there, breathing deeply. Her arms were sore, but then so were her legs and a few other places where Anthony’s bokken had managed to catch her when she hadn’t blocked the strike correctly. Still, she felt energized despite how tired she was. All of this was making her feel better, better than the weak girl who’d left Starling weeks ago.

“You did great, Thea,” Anthony told her as he took the bokken from her hands.

“Only because I have a very patient, understanding teacher,” Thea said, a little smirk on her lips as she looked at him.

“Go and take your shower. I’ll join you downstairs in an hour.”

With that said, he put the pair of bokken away. Then, he collected one of his katana and moved to the middle of the floor. Settling himself lightly on his feet, he began the kata. Each move was precise, beautiful yet deadly. Thea stood as the end of the room, just watching and absorbing as much as she could. She already knew several of the movements, but had never even attempted to combine them as Anthony did here. Neither did she make the movements as quickly as he did.

Once the kata was done, Anthony more into a more freestyle form. The cuts, parries and thrusts were now intermixed with some kicks, rolls and drives. Punches were made using the hilt of the sword, but they were also somewhat few. Thea guessed it was so an opponent couldn’t turn the sword against him. She also saw that on the punch, Anthony would immediately try a reverse cut of the sword, which she assumed was for the same reason.

Thea finally turned away and headed off for her shower. Anthony went through one final set of movements, before he too made his way from the attic training area. As he reached the landing for the second floor, he felt something was off. Moving quickly, he brought the katana up as he stalked down the hall. He had just reached his bedroom door when something, a slight sound, an instinct perhaps, made him drop to his knees. As such, the baton aimed at his head breezed past and struck the wall instead.

A quick pivot and he was facing a blonde woman dressed in black, a hood over her head and a mask over the lower half of her face. The only way he could tell she was blonde was the few wisps of hair that had escaped her hood. Bringing his sword up, he readied himself for her next strike while also mindful of the open door to Thea’s room. He went to take a step backwards to get closer to that doorway when the woman struck again, this time aiming her blow for his midsection.

Anthony was able to parry that strike, but it brought his sword low. Now, she aimed for the head again with her other baton, forcing him to duck quickly. The katana was somewhat unwieldy in the narrow confines of the hall, so on her next strike, he choose to grab her wrist and pull her off balance. He then ripped the baton from her hand and struck back at her. However, he was momentarily distracted when he heard Thea scream, giving his opponent an opening to try to steal the baton back.

Flipping her over him, Anthony gained a little space. Bringing his katana back up, he waited for her next move. She didn’t however, as another woman in black came out of Thea’s bedroom, the young woman draped over her shoulder. He could feel his rage building, but knew that battles were mostly won by those who could keep their heads. So, he pushed it down and focused. Then it hit him, as he took in the women’s outfits, the bow, the swords that the other woman carried.

“What does the League of Assassins want with Thea Queen?” Anthony asked. “If Ra’s Al Ghul wanted her dead, she would be. So, what does he want with her?”

Nyssa and Sara shared a brief glance at that, both surprised that the man before them knew about the League, about Ra’s. When they had found the house that morning, they had seen the man exercising with Thea and taken him for a physical fitness junkie, to use Sara’s term. But that didn’t begin to explain the level of skill Sara had seen him display in their brief fight. The man was good, real good, like Nyssa level good.

“The way I see it, you have three choices. Option one, you put Thea back in her bedroom and leave this house. You go back to Ra’s and tell him that Thea Queen is under the protection of al-khalid wahid.”

Sara happened to glance at Nyssa when he said that and caught something that she rarely saw, a look of respect mixed with a little fear. One of her failings in the League had been learning its history, something that Nyssa had excelled at. Obviously, the name or title of the Immortal One meant something to the heir to the Demon.

“Option two, we continue to fight and perhaps you manage to put me down long enough to get away with who you came here for. In that eventuality, I’ll see you in Nanda Parbat in a couple of days and I’ll kill every member of the League who gets in my way,” Anthony told them.

“And the third option?” Nyssa asked calmly.

“You allow us to pack a bag each and we will both accompany you to Nanda Parbat. There, I will speak with Ra’s Al Ghul and if I am not persuaded that Thea is in no danger, then we will both leave.”

“If I agree to the third option, you would come with us unarmed.”

“No. My katana goes wherever I go, it is as much a part of me as my arms or legs,” Anthony responded, fixing her with a look that said this was not negotiable. 

After a moment, Nyssa nodded her agreement. She felt a level of respect for the man, for his dedication. Obviously, he had sworn to protect Miss Queen and while he might be going along with their taking of her, he was still putting himself in a position to defend her. He was so different from the last man she had argued with. Oliver Queen was a spoiled child, who dreamed he could save his city with one hand tied behind his back. She wondered what it would take to make him see the light and how many innocents would suffer before he did.

“Very well. I am Nyssa, heir to the Demon, Mister….”

“Anthony Rossi, Nyssa.”

“Mister Rossi, kindly pack a small bag while she does the same for Miss Queen,” Nyssa said. “And Mister Rossi, no additional weapons.”

“Leave the knives behind, got it,” Anthony said, flashing her a smile.

Anthony stepped into his room and pulled a small suitcase from the closet. Moving quickly, he packed enough clothes for 4 days. He also wrote out a quick note for Claudia and Jean, letting them know he’d had to leave suddenly. He asked them to take care of the food and that he would call them when he knew more definitely when he would be returning. Their father had access on one of the bank accounts, so everything that they would need would be available.

Walking back into the hallway, he found Nyssa standing exactly where she had been. The other woman was standing next to her, a bag at her feet. Upon seeing him, she lifted the bag and led the way down the hall to the stairs. Once the group reached the ground floor, Anthony stopped and placed the note on the hall table. With that done, he followed the others outside, locking the door behind him. He had to jog to catch up with them, as they were moving at a fast pace away from the house.

Twenty minutes later, they finally came to a black SUV parked in an orchard. Nyssa placed Thea in the back seat behind the driver’s seat, while Anthony took the back passenger side seat. Sara got behind the wheel, while Nyssa took the front passenger seat after putting the bags in the back. Nyssa wanted Sara to drive, so that she could keep an eye on Mr. Rossi. She felt a level of respect for him, but trust would take time and until she trusted him, she’d be quietly watching him.

An hour’s drive brought them to an abandoned airfield, where a private plane sat waiting. Driving towards the plane, a pair of League members appeared from the shadows. Once the car stopped, Nyssa quickly got out and motioned for the pair to stay where they were for the moment. She then opened the door and Anthony got out. He leaned back in and pulled Thea toward him. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her into the plane. As he was doing that, Nyssa pulled out the bags and followed, while Sara handed over the keys to the SUV and the safe house they had been using. She got hers and Nyssa’s bags and was the last inside the plane. As she pulled the door closed, she saw that the SUV was already well into the distance.

With the door closed and secured, the pilots took off quickly and soon the airfield was back to being deserted.


	4. Chapter 4

June 12, 2014  
Corto Maltese

Malcolm Merlyn sat in his office, staring at the phone on his desk. However, he wasn’t really seeing it. Instead, he was going through some breathing exercises, as he worked to get his raging temper under control. The man he had leading the search for Thea had just called to report failure. His men had managed to track Thea as far as Paris and he’d even forwarded some CCTV footage as further proof, but at that point they had lost her.

They had been able to provide a small ray of hope, however. They had learned the name that was used to register for the suite at the hotel: Anthony Rossi. So, now the man and his team were trying to find that man, hoping that he would lead them to Thea. He needed her, as no other option would get him the results that he needed. He needed Oliver Queen to kill Ra’s Al Ghul and he needed Thea’s life to be under threat in order to get that cooperation.

Malcolm had considered simply going to Oliver and trying to explain the situation, but knew that Oliver would be reluctant at best to listen to him. He would require motivation, something to get past the distrust and hatred. Thea, his only living relative, was that motivation. Especially now that Oliver wasn’t killing any more, which Malcolm felt was beyond foolhardy. Starling would never be saved without bloodshed, certainly not in a battle where one was so vastly outnumbered. Besides, they deserved to die. And, if his plan was a success, he would bring the League to Starling and see that they did die.

Standing, he left the room and went to his training area. Picking up a bow and quiver, he went to work on his speed and accuracy. For two hours, he emptied quiver after quiver, only pausing to retrieve his arrows and fill the empty quivers. Malcolm was pleased with the results, but knew that it was only practice.

“What news?” Malcolm asked, not turning from where he was filling the quivers again.

“Nyssa Al Ghul and Ta-er Al-Sahfer left Nanda Parbat two days ago. It is not known where they were sent to, nor the nature of their mission. Ra’s Al Ghul gave them the mission in private and they spoke with no one before they left,” the man stated from the shadows.

Malcolm would have sighed at how long it had taken the news to reach him, but he knew the dangers their people inside the League faced. Ra’s hadn’t kept his position as long as he had by being careless or stupid. The man had to suspect at least the possibility of traitors within the League and Malcolm knew at least two others who would give anything to get people on the inside. So, his people had to get the messages out by word of mouth, until someone was far enough from Nanda Parbat to safely send the message by a faster means.

For now, all he could do was wait, wonder and prepare what he could.

June 12, 2014  
Nanda Parbat

Anthony looked around as they got off the plane, breathing in the cleaner air while letting his eyes take in the mountains. The last time he’d been to Nanda Parbat, he’s arrived after an almost three month trek from India, much of it on horseback. Now, they came on a jet and there were a pair of jeeps waiting for them.

  
Thea was standing beside him, her mouth open in shock. She had awoken just before landing and was still trying to come to terms with the fact that she’d been in essence kidnapped and that Anthony had done nothing to stop it. A part of her was relieved that he’d chosen to come with her, but she couldn’t figure out how he’d be much protection against the two women in black, or the others that were surely waiting for them at their destination.

  
A pair of assassins came from the jeeps and took the bags, quickly loading the jeeps. By some unspoken arrangement, Nyssa and Anthony were placed in the first jeep while Sara and Thea occupied the second. Once everyone was settled, the drivers pulled away from the airstrip at a relatively sedate speed. The landscape was beautiful to Thea and the ride pleasant, if silent as the woman with her hadn’t spoke a single word since Thea had woken up.

  
“Can you tell me where we are, at least?” Thea asked.

  
Seeing that Ta-er Al-Sahfer was not inclined to answer the young woman, the driver finally did so.

  
“This is the way to Nanda Parbat, miss. Those mountains you see are part of the Hindu Kish.”

  
“And where is that exactly?”

  
“If our lord, Ra’s Al Ghul, wishes to tell you that, he will do so.”

  
After about an hour’s drive, the two vehicle convoy came to a small village. Here, the travelers left the jeeps and began the walk down the valley towards Nanda Parbat. Thea didn’t notice it, but Anthony began to feel as though they were being watched almost from the moment that they left the village. He didn’t see anyone, but he knew that they were there.

  
“It’s good to see the League still excels at stealth,” Anthony said softly to Nyssa, as Thea and the other assassin pulled a little ahead. Upon seeing her quizzical expression, he made a show of looking at the walls and ledges of the valley. “I’d have to say at least a dozen assassins have been keeping track of us since we left the village.”

  
“Closer to 18,” Nyssa said with a smile, as suddenly the group was surrounded by twelve men and women dressed in the garb of the League, while another eight stood from the tops of the valley walls.

  
“Holy crap, where did they come from?” Thea asked, shocked.

  
“They were always there, Miss Queen. Now, let us continue, as Ra’s Al Ghul is no doubt waiting to greet you both.”

  
Thea slowed up until Anthony caught up with them, then stayed close to his side, feeling very much out of her depth and scared. Only two things kept her from trying to flee, the trust she had come to have in the man beside her and the knowledge that with all these people around her, she wouldn’t get far. She also somewhat recognized that if they had wanted to hurt her, they most likely would have done that back in France. Not drug her and fly her almost halfway around the world.

  
When it came into view, Thea’s mouth practically dropped open in shock. The large structure seemed to simply emerge from the rock. But it was the line of men that flanked the path from the building to the point where the open valley merged with that path that caught her attention. At the head of them all stood a man in a black robe, trimmed in gold. He looked to be in his fifties, if Thea had to guess. The two women who had brought them here quickly knelt before him, as did Anthony to her surprise. She felt a tug on her hand and looked to see Anthony nodding for her to join him.

  
Nyssa watched her father’s face and caught the momentary flicker of surprise that crossed it. She knew it was not due to the extra person with him, as certainly that news had arrived long before they had. She didn’t have long to ponder it, as a flick of Ra’s wrist brought them all back to their feet.

  
“Welcome to Nanda Parbat, Miss Queen,” Ra’s said. “I am quite certain that you have a number of questions. I am also certain that you would like to freshen up after such a long journey. Ta-er Al-Sahfer will show you to your rooms and bring you to me shortly. But first, I would like to speak with Nyssa and her other guest.”

  
Thea looked at Anthony, her disquiet at being separated visible. Anthony gave her hand a squeeze, before the woman identified as Ta-er Al-Sahfer took her by the elbow and escorted her down the path. Anthony watched for a moment before turning his full attention to Ra’s Al Ghul and Nyssa.

  
“Were my orders not clear?” Ra’s asked Nyssa.

  
“In what way? Your orders were to bring Miss Queen to you, we have done so. Your orders were if possible avoid harming anyone with her. Mister Rossi is unharmed, as you can see for yourself,” Nyssa said.

  
“I did not intend for you to bring them with you, but to leave them behind. I believed that you would be intelligent enough to understand that without it being explicitly stated.”

  
“My choices were limited. He heard us and engaged Ta-er Al-Sahfer. I suspect that he could have beaten her, if my having Miss Queen had not served as a motivation for him to stay his hand. He then presented us with a choice of either continuing the fight, leaving Miss Queen or bringing him with her.”

  
Motioning for the pair to follow him, Ra’s walked the path into Nanda Parbat. As they went, he considered his daughter’s words. He also reflected on the man with her, a man he had not seen in over four hundred years. His predecessor as Ra’s had quietly released the man from the League, after other members had become jealous of his long life. Some had even accused the man of being a thief, stealing waters from the pit to sustain that longevity.

  
Anthony is also reflecting, but less of it is about the man in front of him and more about coming back to the League. He’d spent the better part of two millennia fighting, fighting for different causes, different rulers, but always fighting. Then, he’d heard whispers of something else. Following those whispers was what had brought him here the first time. He’d joined the League and surprised those who had been assigned to teach him. All the knowledge accumulated over fifteen hundred years, the skill he displayed with a sword, an ax, knives and bow.

  
He had found a home in the League, a new purpose. He rose quickly upward in the League. Yet, it was too good to last. The whispers started slowly, as those who had joined the League around the same time that he had began to age while he remained the same. If it had been anywhere else, he would have left before that started to happen, knowing that many saw his immortality as a sign of devil worship or witchcraft. Only in the League, where the ruler had access to waters that kept him young was he relatively accepted. Even so, it was human nature to covet what one does not have and so the whispers began to grow. Finally, his Ra’s took mercy on him and allowed him to leave the League, to make a new path for himself. Anthony pledged himself to follow the League’s rules and customs after his release.

  
The man in front of him had just been beginning his time with the League when Anthony had left. As such, he wondered if the man remembered him or not. Because, the killer that he was still existed inside himself, he had just gotten better at keeping him caged. He feared that being back around the League would bring that persona closer to the surface, make the cage weaker.

  
When the walk finally ended, they were in the private rooms of Ra’s Al Ghul. A traditional tea service sat on a table flanked by a couch and pair of chairs. Ra’s and Nyssa took the chairs, while Anthony settled on the couch end closest to Nyssa. A hint of a smile crossed Ra’s face as he caught sight of the katana that Anthony carried.

  
“A beautiful sword, Mister Rossi,” Ra’s stated. “Or do you prefer Julius Rosenberg? Or Al-Khalid Wahid?”

  
“Any of those or the hundreds of other names I’ve been known by will do. For as Shakespeare said, ‘What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.’”

  
“Very well, Mister Rossi. Why did you interfere in League affairs? You knew that Nyssa and Ta-er Al-Sahfer were members of the League when they tried to take Miss Queen. Why did you interfere?”

  
“Miss Queen and I met during the attack on Starling City. I saved her life then and in doing so became responsible for it. We left the city together and over time became friends. Also, I knew the League and it does not just randomly take prisoners. An attack like this meant that you wanted Thea as a bargaining chip, leverage against someone. When that someone fails to comply, the hostage is tortured to force the real target’s hand. And I am not going to allow that to happen to her,” Anthony said, steel in his voice that got the attention of even a man like Ra’s Al Ghul.

  
“You are partially correct, Mister Rossi. Yes, Miss Queen is a pawn in a bigger game. Her father, her real father, is guilty of crimes against the League. We wish to use her to help us capture him. You are wrong, however, in thinking that if he fails to comply, we will torture Miss Queen. No, Mister Rossi, if he fails to comply, his punishment will be served by his daughter,” Ra’s stated calmly, seeing the murderous look in Anthony’s eyes, as the other man knew that the punishment for crimes against the League usually was death.

  
“A couple of problems with that plan. Firstly, Thea isn’t his child, whoever he might be.”

  
“We have researched thoroughly and there is a DNA report showing his paternity, as well as the word of Miss Queen’s own mother.”

  
“The report you have is wrong. I won’t tell you how I know that, but it is wrong. Secondly, if you don’t know now where her supposed father is, how do you plan on letting him know you have Thea?” Anthony asked, a sardonic smirk on his face.

  
As much as she wanted to smack the man for seemingly mocking her father, Nyssa couldn’t help feeling admiration for him. She’d never seen anyone stand up to her father in this way. The tone was never raised, but the fire was clearly there, as was the steel. She watched as he reached forward and poured himself some tea, yet he did not drink it. Instead, he paused with the cup to his lips, then put it back down as the smile grew wider.

  
“Her ‘Father’ has spies inside Nanda Parbat, doesn’t he? That’s how he’ll know that you have her.”

  
“I am most certain that he does and that they are part of the reason he has always stayed a couple of steps ahead of us for as long as he has. Still, in a couple of days, he should learn that we have his daughter. He will be cautious at first, suspecting some manner of trap. He will require proof, which would be difficult for his spies to obtain and pose grave risk to them, as well,” Ra’s said.

  
“Meaning it will likely be weeks before he gets the proof he will require,” Anthony responded. “And while that goes on, we what? Wait?”

  
“You are free to leave whenever you wish. Only Miss Queen is required here.”

  
“That’s not going to happen. I would request, while we wait for your plan to move forward, a room where I might continue Thea’s training. Also, a pair of bokken, as your daughter would not allow me to bring my set with us.”

  
“Nyssa shall see to that,” Ra’s told him while standing up. “Now, I am sure Miss Queen is wondering where you are, so Nyssa will show you to your rooms. Both of you will join us for dinner.”

  
Anthony bowed and allowed Nyssa to show him from the room. Following her through the various halls, they eventually arrived at a pair of doors. Opening the one on the right, Nyssa showed him the room. He could see his bag sitting atop the freshly made bed. She then closed that door and opened the one on the left.

  
Thea was sitting on the bed, while a woman stood next to the door. A quick glance confirmed that it was the same woman who had accompanied them from France. Seeing Nyssa, she gave a short bow before returning to attention.

  
“Welcome to my cell,” Thea quipped to them. “So far, my jailer hasn’t said a word.”

  
“Perhaps you should, Ta-er Al-Sahfer,” Nyssa said with a smile. “You and I will be primarily responsible for them, after all.”

  
“What does that mean, Ta-er Al-Sahfer?”

  
“It means Canary, Thea,” Sara says, as she removes her hood and mask, showing her face to the young woman she thought of as a little sister.

  
“Sara?!? I don’t understand. What are you doing here?” Thea asked.

  
“During the time I was away, I was a member of this group. When I was back in Starling, it was because I’d run away from them. But events convinced me to come back to them, to Nyssa.”

  
“They kidnapped you to get to your father,” Anthony told her. “There’s a debt that he owes to the League and they’re going to use you as leverage to get to him, or they’ll punish you in his place.”

  
“My father is dead. He died on the Queen’s Gambit.”

  
“We’re not talking about Robert Queen, Thea. We’re talking about Malcolm Merlyn,” Sara told her.

  
“That man is not my father!” Thea said, venom in her voice. “He donated some sperm, that’s all. My father was Robert Queen, the man who loved me, comforted me, told me funny stories before bedtime, taught me to dance.”

  
Thea got up from the bed and went over to the balcony. Her mind was a jumble of thoughts and emotions warring with one another. But chief among them was a burning hatred for Malcolm Merlyn. She felt that everything bad that had happened in her life, to her family, was because of HIM. As she stood there, a thought came to her like a flash. Was Malcolm responsible for the Queen’s Gambit? Was that tied to the Undertaking, the earthquake machines? Had her father been a part of it, in some way?

  
As those questions hit her, she realized that the one person who might have some answers was the one person she didn’t trust to tell her the truth.

June 12, 2014  
Starling City

Oliver Queen was punching away at a training dummy. If anyone asked, he would brush it off as just trying to stay ready. Yet, someone who really knew him would easily be able to see that something was bothering him. Their problem would be trying to narrow that something down.

  
As he trained, his mind kept going to Thea. It had been almost a week since he’d last heard from her and a part of him was worried. He couldn’t help wondering where she was and how she was doing. He missed her, more than he had any right to. He hadn’t been lying to her when he’d told her she’d always been with him when he was on the island. After everything that had happened, she’d been one of the two main reasons he’d returned home.

  
“Oliver!” came a call from Diggle, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs watching him.

  
“Dig,” was all Oliver said, focusing back on the dummy only from his friend to come up and wrap his hands around Oliver’s wrists to stop him.

  
Only when he’d stopped did the pain register. Looking down at his hands, he saw they were bloody and raw. Shaking loose, Oliver went over and washed his hands, then grabbed a first aid kit and set about treating the wounds. Diggle watched this with a sigh, knowing the man was becoming legendary for keeping things to himself. But, this, this was bad.

  
“What’s going on, Oliver?”

  
“Dig, it’s fine.”

  
“OK, then answer me this. When’s the last time you’ve been out of this place when it wasn’t with you hooded up?” Diggle asked him, watching him closely. And as he does, the answer is easy to see. “That’s what I thought. So, take a shower and get dressed. Some fresh air will do you good, man.”

  
Oliver knowing he’s not likely to win this fight decides to give in. Turning, he walked away. Twenty minutes later, he’s showered and dressed. Following Diggle out of the base, the pair get in the van and drive away. The drive is short, as well as silent, before the van pulls up to Big Belly Burger. The duo went inside, with Oliver heading to a booth while Diggle placed their orders.

  
“You going to tell me what’s going on?” Diggle asked when he sat down, a tray of burgers and fries on the table between them. “And please don’t tell me nothing. After two years, I’ve gotten pretty good at reading you, Oliver.”

  
“It really is nothing and yet, it’s everything at that same time. I mean, we won. We beat Slade and his army, but the victory feels hollow as well, you know,” Oliver says, looking down at the food.

  
“Like it wasn’t really a victory?”

  
“Yeah. I mean, weighing what we won against everything we lost, everything I lost. Maybe the price was too high.”

  
Diggle couldn’t dispute him there, as the list played in his head of everything that the man had been forced to sacrifice or watched be taken from him. His mother had been murdered right before his eyes, his home and fortune lost along with Queen Consolidated, Sara back with the League of Assassins while Thea was just gone, having left the city before the showdown and siege. He knew Oliver and Roy both missed the young woman and that both were in occasional contact with her, but it wasn’t the same as having her here.

  
“It’s been almost a week since I’ve heard from Thea,” Oliver says softly. “And I know her leaving was probably for the best, to keep her safe. But it still hurts, you know. I mean, she’s all I have left.”

  
“Have you tried telling her that?” Diggle asked.

  
“I haven’t gotten that far with her. I tried to ask where she was last time and she cut me off quicker than Slade’s sword ever did.”

  
“Well, if you have a number for her, you could try texting her. I know it’s not the same as an actual conversation, but still. Let her know how you feel, that you want her to come back home because you miss her.”  
Oliver slowly ate his food while he also digested the other man’s words. He knew a text or two wouldn’t fix whatever was wrong between him and his sister, but it could serve as a beginning. Because he couldn’t fix things unless he knew what was wrong and the only way to know what was wrong was for them to talk. So, he took out his cell phone and began working on a text, pausing to eat as he slowly typed. A part of him was glad it was Diggle here and not Felicity, as there would have been almost no end of the teasing if she saw how slowly he was typing.

  
Finally, he was finished. Looking it over once more, he pressed ‘Send’. Oliver wondered how long it would take for him to get a reply, not knowing that he wouldn’t. Just as he had no way of knowing that Thea’s phone was several thousands of miles away from her at the moment. So, the screen flashed briefly, showing a message had been received, only no one was there to see it.


	5. Chapter 5

June 13, 2014

Nanda Parbat

 

Anthony and Thea had awoken early, snuggled together on the large bed that was in the room Thea had been given. After quick showers, the pair had dressed for the day. Anthony had been ready first, but when he had opened the door, he had found both Nyssa and Sara waiting for them. Both were dressed slightly less formally, as they were in the private area of the fortress meant only for Ra’s Al Ghul and his family. That the pair had been given rooms here was an honor, but also served as a security measure. This was due to this area being at the very heart of the fortress, with the most layers to pass through before one reached it. A true gilded cage.

“Good morning, Mister Rossi, Miss Queen,” Nyssa said with a smile. “My father wishes for you to join us for breakfast.”

“Thank you,” was all Anthony could say in reply, knowing it was a politely phrased order. “Afterwards, would it be possible to be shown someplace where I can resume teaching Thea.”

“I have already seen to that. Ta-er Al-Sahfer and I will be joining you.”

Anthony raised an eyebrow at that, wondering if they would be there to keep an eye on them or something more. Still, he turned and went inside to grab his katana, along with the traveling case for it. With that, the foursome walked down a short hall and entered the small dinning room. Ra’s was already there, as well as a pair of assassins who were loading food on the table.

The meal passed in silence, as Ra’s watched the pair. Thea was quiet, her eyes constantly moving between Ra’s and Nyssa, waiting for the danger to appear. At dinner last night, she’d tried asking Ra’s questions, but getting few answers. She did notice the way they were seated around the round table. Ra’s and Nyssa were next to each other, with Anthony on the right of Ra’s, while Sara was to the left of Nyssa. This placed Thea between Anthony and Sara, which did give her a measure of comfort.

Both Anthony and Thea were thankful when the meal was over. Leaving the room, they followed Nyssa back down the hall, then down two flights of stairs. More people were around now as the group walked to a doorway. Once inside, he smiled as he took in everything. Stopping just inside the doorway, he removed his shoes and socks. Walking over to a rack, he selected a pair of bokken before returning to where Thea now stood.

“We will be right back,” Nyssa said before following Sara over to a far doorway.

“Do you think we could get out of here before they’re back?” Thea asked softly once Nyssa and Sara were far enough away.

“No,” Anthony told her, having caught sight of a pair of assassins in the shadows of the room. He figured there were probably more, but decided not to make a show of searching for them. He knew it didn’t really matter, given how far they would have to travel to get to anywhere.

Nyssa and Sara returned to the room, both dressed in yoga pants and loose tops. Nyssa was armed with a sword, while Sara had her metal bo. Joining the others, they dropped to the floor and began to stretch. Thea joined them, while Anthony stepped away. Watching them for a moment, he then began a kata. Nyssa found her eyes drawn to the man, watching the precision with which he executed his art. Soon, Sara and Thea joined her in watching more than stretching.

Nyssa hadn’t had the chance to watch the fight between Anthony and Sara when they had gone to take Thea Queen. Now, watching him, even just performing this kata, she couldn’t help the feelings that came to her. She watched the bokken held rigidly, the tip never wavering. The control is perfect, the work of a master. The movements are a symphony, one that a connoisseur like her relishes listening to.

Once he is finished, Anthony turns to find all three women watching him. Yet, the very intensity of Nyssa’s gaze almost causes him to falter. The smile, the look of true appreciation, gave him pause, however.

“I know that you wish to train with Miss Queen, but I would value the opportunity to train against you,” Nyssa says. “If not today, then perhaps latter.”

“Actually, this would be a good chance for Thea to watch. Sometimes, you can learn as much, if not more, by watching more experienced opponents. Just remember, Thea, I don’t expect you to try most of what we do, not for a while at least,” Anthony says. “The only question is, bokken or swords?”

“Bokken.”

With a nod, he stepped backwards. Nyssa took the bokken from Thea, before walking slowly forward. Stopping across from him, she bowed, her eyes kept fixed to his face as she did so. She watched as he bowed as well, an almost mirror image of herself. Upright once again, she adopted a ready position and paused, waiting for him to move. Yet, what she got in return was an almost arrogant nonchalance, his bokken pointed towards the ground, loose at his side. A slight grin on his face completed the picture and caused a rage to build in her.

Without warning, Nyssa struck with a lightning quick slash. She aimed, not for his stomach or chest, but rather for his neck. Before she could even process it, Anthony had blocked the strike, enveloping her blade and disarming her. Nyssa dove to the side to recover her bokken, while Anthony fell back into his relaxed stance once again, his smile returning with a vengeance.

“Thea, let that be lesson number one. Control your emotions, or they will control you,” Anthony said calmly, waiting for Nyssa to stand up.

Nyssa’s next move was slower, more patient. It was a seemingly tentative strike at his left shoulder, one that was blocked easily, as was the next. She continued with high strikes, aimed at the chest, arms, then suddenly switched up the pace and the aim. Now, it was faster slashes and thrusts directed at his hips and thighs. Anthony smiled again, even as he had to work a little more to block these blows.

“Lesson number two, varying your speed and aim gives you an advantage.”

Now Anthony moved from defense to offense. His strikes were swift, barely giving Nyssa time to block them and recover before the next was on its way. Still, she sensed that he was holding back a little, as if this was only seventy-five to maybe eighty percent of what he could do. It was, though, almost as much as she could handle. In fact, the last time she had been pushed this far had been sparring against her father, only Ra’s had not been holding back.

Off to the side, both Sara and Thea are watching the pair. Thea has learned enough from Anthony to know that this is light-years beyond where she is at. She is learning, however, watching the pair, though she is beginning to feel like he was a cat toying with Nyssa the mouse. Sara, on the other hand, was feeling a sense of gratitude. Watching how he was against Nyssa, even just sparring, told her that she would likely have lost her fight against him.

One move, in particular, got a shocked gasp from Sara. Nyssa had found what she thought was an opening in his attacks. But it was only as she pivoted from a parry into a cut of her own that she realized her mistake. She’d aimed low, noticing that he was slower to block the lower she’d tried to strike. When she did, he’d leaped over her bokken and past her. Then, he’d executed a pair of quick slashes to her back before she could get turned around, the second just catching her ahead of her move to block it. If it had been a real sword and he’d put his actual force behind the slash, Anthony would have opened her back to the spine. As it was, there was going to be a good sized bruise there.

The training could have continued longer, as neither was especially tired. However, Anthony also wanted to spend some time teaching Thea. That was why he finally signaled a stop before reclaiming the second bokken from Nyssa. But first, the pair bowed to each other. He then handed Thea the other bokken and walked her over to the far end of the room. Sara managed to hold her tongue until the pair were in the distance, then she looked at Nyssa with a grin on her face.

“Yes?” Nyssa asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Just never thought I’d see the Heir taken to school like that,” Sara said, her grin getting wider. “At least not be someone other that your father or one of his horsemen.”

“The members of the League are some of the best warriors in the world. But that does not mean that there are not others out there who are as good or better.”

“Well, those bruises you’re going to have should be a good reminder of who was better.”

Nyssa merely huffed, watching across the room as Anthony trained Thea. She could see a number of things that she would have been doing differently. However, having witnessed his expertise first hand, she watched with interest. He was slow and patient with the young woman at first, then as she learned, the pace picked up. One thing that was curious was the positioning of the parry on the high strikes. The blade was a little higher than she would have put it, more protecting the head and neck that the midsection.

Young Miss Queen was picking things up quickly, Nyssa thought. She also didn’t complain about the corrections that Anthony was throwing at her. That might have been because they weren’t said in a demeaning tone, which would likely have been the case if one of the League was training her. Rather, they were said in a friendly, encouraging tone, usually accompanied by a touch or a smile. As well, when she did it right, that smile she got was big, followed by a call of “Good”, “Excellent” or “Nice, just like that”.

“How long do you suppose it will take to turn her into anything approaching competent?” came a voice from behind her, one she recognized as Sarab. “Especially with such a soft touch.”

“I think it will take less time that you might expect,” Nyssa answered coolly.

“The strongest steel is forged in the hottest fire, Nyssa.”

“True, but anger is not the only breeze that can stoke a fire, Sarab. Now, did you have a reason for seeking me out?”

“Your father was curious to see what his ‘guests’ were up to,” Sarab answered her.

“Then you may tell him that Mister Rossi is training Miss Queen, as they had discussed yesterday. Sara and I are watching them,” Nyssa responded, her tone one of dismissal.

When Sarab left, Nyssa turned her attention back to the training, or more specifically, to the young woman who was training. She couldn’t help noticing how attractive Thea was, with her hair pulled back in a loose tail, exposing the column of her neck. The cropped top showing off her midriff and the skin tight yoga pants left little to the imagination, something that Nyssa was using as she watched.

Sara, in turn, couldn’t help the smirk that came to her face as she caught on to the fact that Nyssa was practically eye fucking the young heiress. Her smirk grew as she thought about Ollie’s reaction to a combination of Nyssa and Thea, much less Nyssa, Sara and Thea. Because if she knew anything about her girlfriend, it was that Nyssa would certainly want to share. However, watching Thea with Mister Rossi, she suspected that Nyssa would have some trouble there. Especially knowing where the man had spent last night.

“Nyssa,” Sara whispered, “you might want to stop eye fucking her before either of them notice.”

“I was not, as you call it, eye fucking her. I was watching them train,” Nyssa replied.

“Wasn’t aware her ass held a sword.”

“If I was looking that way, it was to examine her stance.”

Sara laughed at that, loudly enough to draw a look from Thea. Sara’s smile was answered by one from the young brunette, along with a quizzical expression.

“You’re doing great, Speedy,” Sara called out to her. “Pick up the pace, though. Don’t let him get too comfortable.”

“What have I said about that nickname, Sara,” Thea called back to her, as she followed up on her suggestion and picked up the pace a little.

“Speedy? Why do I think there’s a story there,” Anthony said, looking at her while he defended.

“Her brother named her that, because when she was younger, she was always racing after him, my sister Laurel and their friend Tommy.”

“It was actually Tommy who started it. He got it from the Loony Toons. You know, ‘Speedy Gonzales, the fastest mouse in all Mexico’. Well, Tommy started calling me ‘Speedy Queen, the fastest toddler in all Starling’, then Ollie and Laurel joined in and there it was, the worst nickname of all time.”

“They only would have called you that if they loved you, Speedy,” Sara told her, causing the young woman to stop and look at Sara. “If they hadn’t wanted you around, they could have gotten rid of you fairly easily. And I know Ollie loves you, because there wasn’t a day that we were on that island that he wasn’t thinking about you.”

“And Laurel, I’m sure,” Thea said with a smirk.

“No. Laurel, he was afraid of coming back to her, after everything.”

“You mean, the whole, ‘Sorry I was busy screwing your sister when the boat sank’. Yeah, that was definitely a downer on their relationship.”

That statement served to bring a pregnant pause to the conversation. In many ways, Sara regretted the young woman she was at the time. Ollie had been fun, but never really meaningful. Not the meaning that she knew her sister felt about him. And Sara had stolen that from her. For a time, she had wondered if her sister would have been as angry with Oliver if it had been some other girl that he had taken on that fateful trip. Somehow, she suspected it would have been a little less of a blow if it hadn’t been her that Ollie was cheating with.

Now, Ollie was in the past. It was a past that she had openly shared with Nyssa. Even the part about them hooking up last year. Sara knew that if she and Nyssa were going to make a real go of it this time, there could be no secrets between them. And while she couldn’t speak for Ollie, on her part it was as much about a physical release as anything else.

Thankfully, Anthony decided to tap Thea on the arm and then motion for her to go back to where they were training. He followed along behind her and the pair was soon back at it. This allowed Nyssa to slowly bring her beloved from her thoughts. Once she had Sara’s attention, she spoke.

“I think you could use an excuse to let go of some of your feelings, Beloved.”

Sara smiled at that, knowing well what Nyssa meant. Nodding, the pair squared off against each other. Sara made the first move and then it was on, the two assassins engaging in hand-to-hand. The sounds of wood on wood were joined by flesh on flesh, then the sounds of wood faded, as Thea was focusing more on Sara and Nyssa than on her own training. Anthony let her watch for a few minutes before getting her back to her own training.

The sound of applause ended the training, directing all four sets of eyes to the doorway.

“Impressive,” was all Ra’s said as he strode into the room. “But I have to wonder how you would do against sharpened steel, rather than wood which has no edge.”

“A bokken, if aimed correctly, can still kill a man,” Anthony said as he took the bokken from Thea and moved to return them to the rack he had found them on.

His back was to Ra’s as he put the bokken up, but his hearing was still perfect as he caught the sound of a blade being removed from its scabbard. A faint smile came to his lips, yet he still did not turn, knowing that there was a little distance between where Ra’s was and the rack. Instead, he focused more on his hearing, picking up the intake a breath that likely came from Thea. No, he was trying to catch Ra’s footsteps. Anthony almost missed them, as the noise level in the room started to rise. Now, he thought as he reached for his katana, pulling it in one smooth motion before turning to block the attack.

“I see your skills are all that my men and the chronicles reported.”

Ra’s continued his attack, while Nyssa and Sara worked to keep Thea back. Nyssa didn’t know what had gotten into her father. If this was another test of the man who had come with Thea Queen, or something more. All she or any of them for that matter could do was watch. Thea was stunned. She’d seen Anthony and Nyssa spar and had been beyond impressed. But if that had been a master class in sword fighting, this was doctoral level. Speed and power, agility and imagination were all on display.

Nyssa and Sara could see that Anthony was pulling his strikes, just a little. It wasn’t until Ra’s got a good cut to his torso that this changed, as if he now knew that this was no longer training. After that, they could sense a new energy in the fight. It also led to increased struggling from Thea, as she seemed to realize that this was in deadly earnest. It was during one particularly heated exchange that it finally happened. A momentary slip was all the young woman needed to escape the pair and rush forward, unthinking.

“Thea!” Sara screamed, snapping Anthony’s head around to see her rush towards him.

Ra’s took advantage of the distraction and made a lunging thrust. Unfortunately, the timing was all wrong, as Thea got between the pair. The tip of the sword pierced her breast instead of Anthony’s, drawing a shocked gasp from the whole group. Anthony caught her and gently lowered her to the floor, while Nyssa and Sara came forward. Sara dropped to her knees next to her friend, while Nyssa continued on to her father. Ra’s had a momentary look of stunned surprise before his cold, calculating mind caught up with him.

“Get her to the pit,” Ra’s ordered Nyssa.

“No,” came a call from Anthony.

“It is the only hope for her, now,” Nyssa said, turning towards them. “My father came save her.”

“Your father has done quite enough!”

Anthony kept hold of her hand, squeezing it gently as Thea died there on the floor. The sword had pierced her heart. Feeling a pair of hands on his shoulders, he shrugged them off. Only the first pair were replaced by two more, stronger this time. They were trying to pull him away from Thea, but Anthony refused to let go. He knew what they wanted, but would not let them do that to her. Not when he knew that she would come back on her own. Even now, he could feel the buzz growing stronger, could more easily sense another immortal: Thea Queen.

Nyssa and Ra’s were so focused on Anthony that they missed it. But not Sara, she got a front row seat to the whole thing. One moment, Thea was completely still and not breathing. The next, she reared upwards while taking in a shuddering breath. Sara tumbled away from the girl, shocked beyond measure, even after everything she’d already experienced both on the island and in the League. Anthony, on the other hand, just kept his focus on Thea, holding her hand as she come back from her first death.

“Oh, God, that hurt,” Thea moaned as her other hand went to her chest, feeling the wound healing. The area was slightly warm to the touch, she noticed, because moving her shirt to get a look.

Sara was back by her side and the two watched as little crackles of lightning danced across the healing wound. Nyssa and Ra’s came closer, seeing what was happening as well. As for Anthony, he just looked at Thea’s face, watching her emotions. He also felt a level of sadness, as he hadn’t wanted this to happen. Now, however, she was going to spend however long she had as a twenty-year-old woman. He knew from experience that women had a harder time in the game than men did, lacking the size and strength that most men had. He promised himself that he would work with her until she learned the skills she would need and until then, he would protect her. And that would start by getting her out of here and away from Ra’s Al Ghul.

“We will be leaving in the morning,” Anthony said, as he looked up at Ra’s and Nyssa, pure hatred in his eyes as he looked at the man.

“And if I was to say that I can not allow that,” Ra’s said calmly.

Anthony went to stand, only to be stopped by the grasp of Thea’s hand on his. Turning his eyes back to her, he calmed. He scooped her up into his arms and stood, feeling her turn so that her head was against his heart for a moment. Thea then looked at the others.

“We’ll stay until you get Merlyn, then I never want to see you again,” Thea said. “Now, if we could go back to our rooms. For some reason, I’m a little tired.”

Nyssa and Sara escorted them from the training room and back up to their rooms. Anthony carried her inside and laid her on the bed. Sara went to a cupboard and removed some towels for her, laying them on the chair next to the bathroom. When she looked back at the bed, she found Thea was asleep. Anthony was sitting in the chair next to the bed, watching both her and the rest of the room, his eyes never stopping their sweep. When Nyssa approached, both women noticed the slight flinch he gave.

“Your katana, Mister Rossi,” Nyssa said, as she bowed, the sword held out in both hands.

“Thank you, Nyssa,” Anthony said, bowing his head to her.

“Sara has gotten towels out. When Miss Queen awakens, she may wish a bath. And I will see that your meals are brought to you, as well.”

“Thank you.”

With that, Nyssa and Sara left the room. Anthony was able to catch a brief glimpse through the door of a pair of additional assassins positioned across from the doorway. At that, he checked his sword and then laid it across his lap, his hand resting on the hilt. Sitting where he was, he was between the bed and the door.

 

June 14, 2014

Nanda Parbat

 

Thea woke before the sun rose and caught sight of Anthony dozing in the chair next to the bed. It took her a few minutes to clear the cobwebs, but when she saw her bloody, torn shirt, it all came flooding back to her. Sitting up, she pulled away the shirt and her bra, her eyes taking in the unmarked skin. Skin that she vividly recalled having been pierced by Ra’s sword.

“Good morning,” Anthony said softly, watching the young woman begin to come to grips with her new reality.

“So how does this work?” Thea asked.

“Firstly, we’ll need to go over the Rules. And you’ll need to keep training….”

“Why? I’m immortal now.”

“Yes and no,” Anthony told her. “As for the rules. First, no immortal will fight on holy ground, regardless of who considers it holy. Use that if you need to escape from one of us. Find a church, cemetery, temple or such. Second, when we fight, it’s one on one. If you get into a fight with another immortal, I wouldn’t be able to interfere. The same goes for me. That’s why you need to train, because other immortals will come after you now.”

“But why?” Thea asked.

“When only a few of us remain, we will feel a pull to a distant place, where we will fight for the Prize. The last immortal, the one who wins the Prize, will have the power of all the immortals who have ever lived. Enough power, in the hands of someone evil, to see mankind suffer an eternity of darkness.”

“But if we’re immortal, then how do we win a fight against another immortal?”

“Not here,” Anthony said to her. “Lastly, mortals must never learn about immortals. When you ‘die’, that’s it. You move on to a new place, a new life. And you don’t look back.”

“But what about my brother, my friends,” Thea asked, thinking about never seeing Oliver again. Ever.

“Thea, you can’t. Your friend, Sara. She saw you die.”

“Yeah, but she also saw me come back. She knows. What happens when she sees Ollie again, what if she says something? Ollie will try looking for me, I’m sure.”

“I understand, Thea, I do. But you need to look at the other side of this, too. How are you going to explain to your brother when you don’t age? ‘Good skin’ will only get you so far. I’d say, if you’re lucky, maybe fifteen years, twenty tops,” Anthony remarked, looking at her. “And that doesn’t begin to account for the danger you could potentially be putting him in. There are immortals out there who would think nothing of kidnapping your brother to get to you, then killing him once they’ve defeated you.”

Thea just sat there on the bed, trying to come up with any way back to her brother. But nothing came to her that could refute his arguments. Suddenly, she felt like the twelve-year-old girl who’d been told her brother and father had been lost at sea, the pain and loss so sharp that she huddled into a ball on the bed, hugging her knees as she cried. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her and a warm breath against her cheek, a murmur of whispered words that she wasn’t able to process. She knew that it was Anthony, knew he was trying to comfort her and she appreciated it.

“How do you do it? Just walk away from friends, loved one and not look back. I mean, isn’t there a part of you that wants more than that?” Thea asked.

“Of course there is. But, I’ve also seen what happens when people start to question you, question your existence. Trust me, it isn’t pretty. So, yes, while I would love to have ‘more’, I’ve long ago accepted that I won’t have that.”

“That sounds like a lonely way to live.”

A light knock on the door turned both of their heads towards it. After a moment, Sara came through the door, another assassin with her carrying a tray. A pair of bowls with oatmeal, another bigger bowl with fresh fruit and a pot of tea were there. The tray was placed on the table near the balcony, then the assassin left the room. Sara stayed, coming over to the bed and holding out her hand for Thea.

“I wanted to come and make sure you’re alright,” Sara said.

“It’s probably going to take me a bit before I’ll be able to use the term alright to describe myself,” Thea said.

“Trust me, I get that, Speedy. I probably felt something similar when Nyssa pulled me from the ocean and brought me here. Everything at once strange and new, so different than what I’d ever known. So, if you ever want to talk about it, I’m here.”

“Thanks, Sara. Not sure how much I can tell you, though.”

“You’re immortal, like him,” Sara said with a smile, especially after seeing the look on her friend’s face. “Nyssa and I figured that out. And don’t worry, we’re not telling anyone. Oh, and Ra’s knows as well. Nyssa’s with him right now,” Sara told them.

“Why?” Anthony asked, although he had a fairly good idea of what Ra’s would be thinking and there was no way in hell he would allow it to happen.

“Ra’s wanted to ask Thea to join the League and Nyssa’s trying politely to talk him out of that.”

“Why?” Thea asked, not that she wanted to join, but why was Nyssa taking her side against Ra’s.

“Because joining the league is a lifetime commitment, Speedy. And your lifetime is different than mine or even hers. She and I don’t want that for you,” Sara told her.

“What about you? I mean you’re here.”

“I was alone and starving when Nyssa found me, basically waiting to die. Nyssa, she nursed me back to health and then brought me here. The things I’d been required to do to survive showed me a darkness inside of me and the league offered me an outlet for that darkness,” Sara said.

“New recruits to the league are brought before Ra’s, to be judged as to whether they are worthy of training,” Anthony said, remembering his own introduction to the league. “Those found to be worthy are trained, those that are not are ruthlessly killed, so that the existence of the league remains relatively secret.”

“But if it’s a lifetime commitment, then how are you not still a member of the league?” Thea asked.

“Ra’s may grant a person release from the league. The Ra’s of my time granted my release.”

“Ra’s also released Malcolm Merlyn, which he now knows was a mistake. Now, you should probably eat before the oatmeal gets cold.”

An answering rumble from Thea’s stomach brought a chuckle from Sara. She knew the young woman had slept through dinner last night, so it was not surprising that she was hungry. The trio moved over to the table and settled around it. Sara took a pear from the bowl of fruit, while Thea and Anthony had their oatmeal and some peach slices from the bowl of fruit. Thea took more fruit from the bowl after she was finished with the oatmeal, as she was still a little hungry.

Once Anthony was done, he went to the chest of drawers and removed some clothing. He then went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. It was a calculated risk, leaving Thea alone out there, but not a difficult one to take. He knew if Ra’s wanted to, it would be a simple matter of send a large enough group of assassins into the room to keep Anthony occupied with Thea was spirited away.

That, however, did not mean that he dallied over his shower, but rather proceeded swiftly. It was only when he got done that he realized his mistake, as there were no towels in the bathroom, except for a small hand towel by the sink. Knowing that there was nothing else to do, he got out of the shower and walked across the floor. Trying to take care with the door, Anthony cracked it open and stuck his head out.

“Sara, are there any towels?” Anthony asked, just as his hand slipped from the door and it swung open.

Sara and Thea looked towards the sound of the voice and both got more than an eyeful of the Immortal. Thea had seen him naked before, but that didn’t stop the young heiress from enjoying the view. As for Sara, while she might be with Nyssa, that didn’t mean she wasn’t able to appreciate a well built male. While he wasn’t as cut as Ollie, he definitely had muscles, just more like a fencer or distance runner. A cough from her friend brought her back to the question at hand and she pointed to the chair near the bathroom door. Quickly snapping up a towel, Anthony went back into the bathroom, which offered the ladies a rear view as well.

“Damn,” was all Sarah could say, or more accurately sigh.

“That’s just the appetizer, Sara. Trust me when I say the full meal exceeds that by a lot,” Thea told her, flashing a huge grin at her friend who just stared at her.

“You lucky girl.”

“Yes, I am.”

A moment later, Anthony came out of the bathroom dressed for the day in a navy blue short-sleeved dress shirt and khakis. He choose to ignore the smirks from the two women and instead sat down next to the bed, so he could put on his socks and shoes. Thea was finished with her breakfast by the time he was done, so she picked out some clothing and made her way to the bathroom as well.

“Is she going to be okay?” Sara asked.

“In time, she will be,” Anthony told her.

“And there’s no way she can go back to Starling?”

Anthony sighed at the question. It wasn’t so much Thea going back to her old life in Starling once this was all over. It was everything that would come with it. However, no one there knew what had happened. Yet, a part of his mind cautioned him. He didn’t want to offer this to Thea as an option, only to see it go horribly wrong.

“The only way that it could work would be if nobody knows what she’s become. The problem is, somebody does know, you know. So, the question really is, can I trust you enough to never say a word of this to anyone.”

“Well, I couldn’t tell them if I wanted to,” Sara said. “Because if I told them, I’d have to tell them how I knew and that would just lead to more questions. Questions that would eventually lead to her brother trying to kill me for kidnapping his little sister.”

Before Anthony could say anything more, the door to the bathroom opened and Thea came out. She was dressed in a maroon top and a pair of yoga pants. A pair of flats completed her outfit.

“So, what are we doing today?” Thea asked.

Before Anthony could answer, Nyssa came into the room. Unconsciously, he moved so that he was between her and Thea. Sara caught this, just as she noticed how Nyssa maintained her distance, silently acknowledging that a level of trust had been lost. Thea, though, didn’t blame Nyssa for what had happened. In fact, she knew that the woman had been trying to hold her back, so that she wouldn’t get hurt. It was only her emotions getting the best of her and her jumping into the middle of Anthony’s fight with Ra’s that had caused what happened.

“More training,” was all Anthony finally said.

Nyssa and Sara shared a grin when they heard a groan come from the younger woman.


	6. Chapter 6

June 17, 2014

Corto Maltese

 

Malcolm Merlyn wasn’t surprised when he walked into his office and found a man sitting behind his desk. All he did was smirk that smile of his as he closed the door behind him and watched the man stand up. His eyebrow did raise slightly as he got a good look at the other man’s outfit, which screamed ‘Tourist’.

“The joys of the tropics,” the man said.

“Well, it doesn’t suit everyone, I guess,” Malcolm commented with a knowing look. “It does have one thing going for it: privacy. But, I know that you didn’t come all of this way to talk about either of those things.”

“No, I’m here with two pieces of news for you. One of which I needed to bring in person.”

Malcolm adopted a relaxed posture, while willing himself to remain calm. He could feel that something wasn’t right, had felt it from the moment he had seen the other man. Most of their conversations had been over the telephone, the last time they had actually met had been over a year ago. The man had been the leader of the team that had spirited Malcolm out of the Starling City Morgue and gotten him safely out of the city. Malcolm trusted him as much as he did anyone.

“Tell me.”

“Your daughter has been found,” the man said, before raising a hand. “But where she has been found presents a problem.”

“Surely you and your men can get her from wherever she is,” Malcolm responded.

“Not this time. We have reason to believe that she’s in Nanda Parbat.”

Malcolm had been prepared to hear anything, anything at all. Just not those two words, words that carried a meaning that made him shiver. Words that took all of his carefully crafted plans and ground them to dust. Pushing everything down, he slowly cleared his mind of emotions. If his associate was right, he would need all of his wits about him so he could come up with some way to save himself.

“Tell me what you know, all of it.”

“We finally tracked your daughter to Paris and got a new name for her traveling companion, Anthony Rossi. However, the name is relatively clean, no military record, nothing with the FBI or Interpol. Only thing we could find was a house in France, near Bordeaux and an apartment in Naples. Once we had that, I sent two teams out, one to each location. The team in Naples found the apartment vacant and the neighbors said Mister Rossi hasn’t been there in almost five years. The house near Bordeaux was a different story. Mister Rossi and a young woman who matched your daughter’s description had been there less than four days previously before mysteriously leaving in the middle of the night. According to the people we talked to, it’s mysterious because Mister Rossi left without his car and the house was full of fresh food. A note was left saying he had to leave on some important business, but how did he leave if he didn’t take his car?” the man asked.

“Somebody took them,” Malcolm replied. “But how does that get you from them leaving to my daughter being in Nanda Parbat.”

“It cost to get this.”

Pulling out his phone, the man retrieved something and handed the device over to Malcolm. The first was a satellite image of an aircraft on an abandoned airfield. Judging by the lack of light, he knew it was an infrared photo taken at night. Scrolling past some more photos showing much the same, he found one where the scene had changed. Now it was daytime and showed a plane on an airfield in the middle of an arid landscape. The next photo caused him to pause, because here was the damning proof. The photo was just clear enough to leave no doubt: Nyssa and a group of assassins with Thea and the man he assumed was Mister Rossi in their midst.

“I must commend you on your work. These last photos could not have been easy to obtain.”

“Well, let’s just say that it is easier if you let someone else do the work for you. A.R.G.U.S has been keeping an eye on Nanda Parbat using UAVs in route to and from Afghanistan. Waller doesn’t know what the photo actually means and is waiting while facial recognition finds a match. What she doesn’t know is that one of my people slipped a virus into their system, so that every time that photo comes to the top of the queue, it gets shuffled back to the bottom. But, that will only buy you a little time, because eventually, Waller is going to ask for the results,” the man told him.

“Miss Waller is the least of my concerns,” was all Malcolm said to that. And it was true, as Waller would have to know where he was for her to matter. Ra’s, on the other hand, had his daughter. And that made him the greater threat right now.

“True. But Waller might choose to use this information to persuade Mr. Queen. Or Ms. Michaels might learn about this and pass on the information to her ex-husband, John Diggle.”

“Yes, that would be….” Malcolm started to say, only to stop as a whole host of ideas struck him on how he could possibly turn this to his advantage. Yes, he knew Oliver wasn’t killing any more, not even when given some rather extreme provocation. He wondered what reaction Oliver would have to finding out about his little sister. Would that be enough to make him kill, make him do whatever was necessary to save his sister?

Malcolm knew he would have to choose his words carefully, making sure he revealed just enough. It would be hard, but not impossible. He would need to approach him away from his team, so as not to allow them to try to dissuade Oliver.

“Make the necessary arrangements for me to return to Starling City.”

 

June 17, 2014

Starling City

 

As night fell, Oliver made his way to the exit from the base. Felicity was running late at her job, so Diggle was going to handle communications. He paused on the stairs, waiting for Roy to catch up with him. The younger man had been doing something on his cell phone and he was pretty sure it was sending another message to Thea. It had been a month since she left and almost two weeks since the last time he had heard from her. He knew it was the same for Roy, as well

Oliver blew out a breath, knowing he needed to center himself before going out. Leave everything but the mission behind, because emotions could lead to mistakes and mistakes could lead to one of them getting hurt or worse. So, he concentrated on his breathing, eyes closed. He let him mind drift to the mission tonight, which Roy had dubbed ‘Take out the Trash’. Oliver and Diggle had both privately gotten a quiet laugh out of that, thinking that that is exactly what the people they were going after were: trash.

“Ready?” Roy asked, as he joined him on the stairs.

“I’ll head North, I want you to go West. Keep it simple. We find the location where the meeting is taking place, we let Dig know and stand by for the other to join whoever has eyes on,” Oliver told him, even though they had already covered this twice before.

“I’ve got it.”

Oliver looked at him once before nodding, then he fired a grapnel arrow and used the attached line to reach the rooftop. Roy followed suit and with that, the pair of archers were off on their hunt. They each moved from roof to roof, listening, watching, before moving on to the next. Tonight, there was supposed to be a meeting of some of the bigger drug dealers in Starling. What they had heard was the meeting was to set up some form a cartel, a way for the groups to have more power, more muscle than they ever would as separate groups. Oliver knew he needed to stop this from happening, knew that he needed to keep these groups smaller, easier to deal with.

As he got ready to move to another rooftop, Oliver paused. He felt like he was being watched. Standing there, he let his eyes roam over what he could see, trying to looking into the shadows. He also concentrated on his hearing, listening for footsteps on the rooftop, the sound of breathing, anything that could alert him to another presence. After ten minutes of just standing there, he pulled and fired another grapnel arrow, but at a different building than he had initially planned. Just in case there was someone waiting where he had been intending to go.

When he reached the new building, he no longer felt like he was being watched. Still, he kept his senses on high alert as he moved on. In fact, he was almost so focused on that that he would have missed his target if not for the loud slam of a car door and some cursing. Looking down, he saw a number of cars in a vacant lot, next to a rundown warehouse. A trio of men were standing around a kneeling figure, probably some homeless person who’d thought this would be a chance to beg for a little money. Oliver had to steel himself as he watched one of the men kick the kneeling figure, knocking them over. He could now see it was a woman, fairly young, about Thea’s age.

“Eyes on the target. Warehouse on Baxter, near Oak,” Oliver said softly into his communications device.

“On my way,” was all Roy said.

Oliver’s hand tightened on his bow, as he fought to keep down his rage. Stick to the plan, he kept thinking over and over again. He was also readying himself, as wishing Roy would hurry up and get there. It was only when one of the men grabbed the woman and another started to undo his pants that the decision was made for him. Without a conscious thought, he fired and fired and fired before jumping down. All three men were on the ground, groaning in pain before he knocked them unconscious.

“Get out of here,” Oliver told the girl, before fired a grapnel arrow up at the top of the warehouse. Once he reached the roof, he looked down and saw that the girl was gone.

“Starting without me, I see.”

“No choice.”

“I’d have done the same,” Roy told him, following his mentor into the warehouse.

The pair moved silently through the upper floors of the warehouse. From the sounds they could hear, it sounded like the meeting was on the ground level of the structure. Still, they couldn’t take any chances, so they were forced to clear each floor. They were glad that the did, finding a handful of “guards” on the second floor. Not very useful, as they were all in what looked like a former break room playing cards.

Oliver lead the way with the first arrow, then Roy fired. After that it was a brawl, given the close quarters. Oliver used his bow to pummel a pair of gang members, while Roy got the last with a series of punches to the face.

“How many are there,” Oliver asked the man he had shot in the shoulder. Not getting an answer, he grabbed the arrow and wiggled it from side to side. “How many?”

“I don’t know, exactly. Each boss was to bring two people as guards, okay. But I don’t know who all was invited to this, man. I swear,” the man said, fighting the pain and the panic, not seeing the fist coming until the last second.

Oliver pulled back, as he did a little mental count. Three outside, plus the five in here meant eight down. Based on a few guesses, he figured another ten. Maybe a few more. Still, there was only one way to find out. He could see that Roy had the same thoughts. Nothing to do but get on with it.

The first floor turned out to not be a floor at all, but rather a series of catwalks around the perimeter of the structure, as well as a few others that linked those together. Looking through the open doorway, Oliver could see men on those catwalks. He could also see a number of men on the ground floor, sitting around a table of all things.

“Are you serious?” Roy said softly. “What do these guys think this is, General Motors?”

Oliver had to agree with that thought. Looking at the scene before him, he had the impression that whoever had organized this had seen The Godfather a few too many times. Well, regardless of their delusions of grandeur, these definitely weren’t big time crime families. But, he told himself it didn’t matter, what mattered was ending the potential threat they posed to this city.

“Go left,” Oliver told Roy as he knocked an arrow and let it fly. The first four guards were down before anyone around the table had moved. Seeing this, Oliver continued with taking down the guards for the moment. It was only when the leader had gotten up and began to move that Oliver jumped from the catwalk, firing an arrow as he went. He didn’t even look to see it impact, just landed, rolled and came up firing another arrow.

While Oliver was going after the rest of the leaders, Roy worked his way through the last few guards. Fists and elbows, bow and flechette were all used to take down the group. When the last of them was down, he looked down to find Oliver snaring the last of the leaders with a wire-wrap arrow. He had to shake his head, seeing Oliver standing there. They’d just taken out roughly two dozen gang members and Oliver looked ready for another two dozen, while Roy wanted to take a break and catch his breath. He knew if he said anything to him, Oliver would increase his training.

“Call it in, Dig,” Oliver said.

“We will,” came Felicity’s voice over the earpiece. “What’s next on the schedule tonight?”

“Standard patrol, unless you’ve got something for us?”

“No. Not unless you want to get in the middle of a domestic disturbance.”

“I’ll pass on that,” Roy said.

“Then let’s get on with patrolling,” Oliver told them, moving away from the warehouse and back to the rooftops. And that was how they spent the next four hours, roaming the glades and then the rest of Starling. In the process, they stopped three armed robberies, five muggings (or possibly worse in two cases) and one attempted rape.

The would-be rapist had gotten off the worst tonight, as Roy had gotten one look at the young girl that had been the potential victim and planted a steel toed boot square between the man’s legs. The man’s scream had been louder than any the girl had given and when they had left, he had been lying on the pavement of the alley, hands cupped over his groin as he sobbed in agony. Roy escorted her to the end of the alley and then watched her until he was satisfied that she was safe before going back up to the rooftops and his patrol. For the rest of his patrol, Roy’s mind kept flashing to that girl, who had looked so much like Thea.

 

June 18, 2014

Nanda Parbat

 

Thea stood in the middle of the training room, bokken in her hands. She was working through the moves that Anthony had taught her, just as she had been the previous three days. He was right beside her, performing the same moves, acting as a visual reference for her. He was also correcting her, though less than he had been as she was coming to master what he had taught her.

Both of them had, however, gotten used to more or less ignoring their constant watchers. Sara was sitting cross-legged on the floor, practicing her meditation, while Nyssa stood just inside the doorway. A faint smile ghosted across her lips, watching the young woman. Thea was taking to the sword like a duck to water and Nyssa wondered if she would do as well with a bow.

“I see Miss Queen is mastering the basics,” came the whispered voice of Ra’s Al Ghul.

“She is,” Nyssa replied, keeping her eyes focused on the pair training.

“So, this softer approach does not hinder the girl?”

“I do not believe so. She is where I would expect one of our recruits to be at this time, perhaps even a little ahead.”

Ra’s and Nyssa watched as Anthony now taught Thea a new movement, an envelopment of the blade to disarm an opponent. The pair proceeded slowly at first, as Thea practiced the moves needed. As she got those down, they picked up the pace until they were going full speed. Thea had a big smile on her face, as they fought back and forth, looking for her opening. Then, she did as she’d been taught and disarmed him, only for something unexpected to happen. Each time before, Anthony had gone to retrieve his sword. This time, he attacked right into her, ducking below her sword and putting his shoulder into her abdomen, knocking the wind from her.

“Never assume that just because your opponent is unarmed, he is defenseless,” Anthony told her with a laugh, lifting her into the air. “Always be ready for the unexpected.”

“Like this,” Thea said, as she brought her bokken down and pressed the tip to the middle of his back.

“Very good. Just watch the angle of your sword, or you could end up running yourself through as well as your opponent.”

Anthony set Thea back on her feet and went over to get his sword. As he bent to retrieve it, she took the opportunity to smack him on the butt with the flat of her bokken, laughing at the look that crossed his face. Sara opened her eyes at the laugh, looked at the pair and shook her head before closing her eyes again.

“And is this normal for their training?” Ra’s asked.

“It is rare, but it does occasionally happen,” Nyssa told him.

“Very interesting.”

Whatever Nyssa intended to say in response died on her lips, as Ra’s Al Ghul left as suddenly as he had arrived. Nyssa wondered briefly at the purpose of his visit, before deciding that it was her father’s need to know that had brought him here. That need to know everything was one reason he was as powerful as he was. For herself, she didn’t try to guess at what was going through her father’s mind. She had her mission and that is what she would focus on.

Turning her attention back to the room, she saw that Thea and Anthony were now sparring. Here, the movements were more freestyle, each using whatever came to mind so as to gain an advantage. As she watched, she could see that he was holding back, both in terms of the tactics he used as well as with the pace he attacked and defended at. The pair went back and forth for a while, then Thea did something that Nyssa was certain Anthony hadn’t yet taught her. In fact, it wasn’t something she’d seen Anthony do at all, but rather something Nyssa herself had tried to do to Anthony in their training session. Then, he had been somewhat prepared and had easily blocked it. This time, clearly not expecting the move from his young student, the strike landed.

“Very good, Thea,” Nyssa said, smiling.

“Indeed, nicely done,” Anthony added, before picking up the pace to see how she coped. It took a moment, but Thea caught up with him and they were back to exchanging blows. They were able to keep this up for a time, then Thea began to slow as she tired.

“Sorry,” Thea said as she finally had to stop, her arms felt like lead.

“Don’t worry, Thea. You’re doing great. You’ve been practicing with a sword for less than two weeks and it takes time to build up your strength and stamina.”

Strength and stamina were part of the reason that he was training her twice a day. Mornings were now when they did physical exercises, everything from sprints across the room to push-ups. They would end it with a two mile run before taking a break for lunch and some rest of Thea. Then it was back to the training room, where he would teach her roughly an hour of unarmed combat before they would train with the bokken.

The running had surprised Thea, until she’d taken the time to think about it. She’d also thought about the topics that Anthony talked about in the evenings, when it was just the two of them. Things like choosing the right ground, knowing when to fight and when to flee, making sure to know where holy ground was in whatever city she lived in. They also spent their time with him telling stories of his past, the friends he had and those he’d lost.

“Why don’t you join Sara in meditating, while I spar against Nyssa,” Anthony said.

“Come on, Thea,” Sara told her, opening an eye and patting the floor next to her.

Thea handed her bokken over to the other brunette, before sinking to the floor next to her friend. Looking at her, she found herself copying her pose before closing her eyes and focusing inward. Nyssa and Anthony walked to the center of the room and faced off. They started slowly, exchanging strikes that were less to actually strike and more to test their opponent’s defenses. From there, it was just a matter of picking up the pace. Anthony had a smile on his face, enjoying being tested by the exceptional woman across from him. For a brief moment, he let his concentration slip as he wondered how Duncan would do against her. In that moment, Nyssa struck and his reaction was slightly off, allowing the bokken to catch him in the shoulder and then the head. He laughed slightly before jumping back into their sparring.

“What were you thinking of?” Nyssa asked him.

“A friend.”

“Another like yourself and Miss Queen?”

“Yes. I was wondering how he would do if he sparred against you,” Anthony said.

“Is he good?” Nyssa asked, as they continued to trade blows.

“Exceptional, both as a warrior and a friend, which is probably why we often disagree.”

“About what, exactly?”

“His code of honor, mostly. I’ve seen him let people walk away, even knowing how dangerous they are, because to do otherwise would be a violation of his personal honor. But when I say something to him, he just asks if I’d rather he have no code at all,” Anthony told her, remembering so many arguments with Duncan about it.

“Would you? Would your friend be better or worse if he did not have the code that he lives by?”

“Duncan likes to quote Mencius. ‘I dislike death indeed, but there is that which I dislike more than death, and therefore there are occasions when I will not avoid danger.’ For me, I don’t know if he would be worse without his code, just that I would be worse without his friendship.”

“How long have you known each other?” Nyssa asked.

“Almost three hundred years. We met in Paris in 1740. He was there seeking supporters for the coming rebellion in Scotland, while I was there to get away from war for a while,” Anthony told her, well remembering the first time he’d seen Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod.

 

Flashback

September, 1740

Paris, France

 

Anthony, or Andre Basile as he was then known, was sitting in the back of the tavern. A glass of wine and a plate of stew were on the table before him. He was lost in his own thoughts, largely ignoring the increasing voices in the room when he felt the Buzz. Time had taught him the smart thing to do was to keep his face neutral and just slowly scan the room with his eyes. The talk of joining a cause and helping the rightful king reclaim his throne was something he’d heard before. In fact, less than thirty years before, he’d been fighting for just such as cause, one more war to add to the others, one more cause that he knew would mean relatively little in the course of events.

“Aye, lads, come join us,” came the man’s voice again. “Bonny Prince Charlie needs you now.”

“Give it a rest, MacLeod. Your father probably gave the same speech to our fathers on behalf of Charlie’s father. Why will this time be any different than last?” one of the man asked.

Anthony held his tongue, though he wanted to tell them that it wouldn’t be any different. That no matter the bravery of the Scotsmen, the armies of the English king would overwhelm them sooner or later. He’d seen it for himself against Marlborough at Blenheim and Ramillies, with Henry the Fifth at Agincourt. Still, the Scots had beaten the English before.

“Because we’ll have more men this time and we’ll have allies.”

“We had allies the last time and still they beat us. No, MacLeod, I’ll not support this.”

With that, almost half the group left and the talk died away. The man called MacLeod raised his tankard and a barmaid came over to fill it for him. Anthony didn’t look at him, but also didn’t look away as the man scanned the room. Obviously, he was searching out the other Immortal he had sensed, his hand never straying too far from the sword at his side. Anthony bit back a grin at that, wondering how old the boy was. Making a decision, he took his drink and walked over to where the other man sat.

“May I?” Anthony asked, before sitting in response to the nod he got.

“A word of advice, if I might. Another immortal is unlikely to start a fight in so crowded a place. It would be difficult to explain, would it not?”

“Aye, it would. I am Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod.”

“I am Antonius Germanicus, civis Romanus sum,” Anthony said softly, not wanting to be overheard. “How old are you? Little more than a century, I would guess.”

“A little more, yes,” Duncan said, watching him.

“I’ve seen nineteen centuries. I’ve seen empires rise and fall. So will you, if you live long enough. See, that is the gift you and I have been given, time. These people, people like the ones you were seeking to enlist in Charles Stuart’s lost cause, they only have one lifetime. And here you come, selling your dreams of Scotland rising and defeating the English. But all you are really doing is cutting short the lives of many of these men.”

“Perhaps, but at least their families would know freedom. The ability to live their lives as they choose, not as the English dictate.”

“Really?” Anthony asked, raising an eyebrow. “Or would they be simply exchanging the dictates of London for the dictates of Edinburgh? Think on that, Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod.”

With that, Anthony rose from his seat and left the building, wondering if he had made any difference at all. Probably not, given that MacLeod still associated his name with his clan. Anthony, on the other hand, no longer considered himself Roman, but rather as a citizen of the world. He’d been to many different places, from China to Ireland, Sweden to Africa. He had somewhat nebulous plans to visit the Americas, but it was important that he visit London first. He would need to visit his bankers and arrange for both funds and letters of credit, not to mention passage. Still, it would be nice to go somewhere new for a change and Paris would soon bore him.

 

End of Flashback

 

Nyssa watched as Anthony stood before her, clearly lost in his memories. She waited until she saw that he was back to the here and now before nodding her head towards the edge of the training area. She was offering him an out, a chance to fully gather himself before they continued sparing. Taking the offer, he walked over to where Sara and Thea sat on the floor and dropped down beside them.

“And did you? Find time away from war?” Nyssa asked as she settled beside him.

“A brief time. I left Paris for London in 1741, then went on to New York. A little over a decade later, the Seven-Years War began and I was back to being an officer in his Majesty’s army.”

“And Duncan?”

“He was at Glenfinnen when Charles Stuart came ashore to begin his rebellion in 1745 and marched by his side, fighting at Falkirk Muir and Culloden. He was even there when the survivors were dispersed. When Stuart left for France and exile, Duncan stayed and watched the English take their revenge on his people. He went on a bloody rampage after that, killing as many Englishmen as he could. Eventually, it ended and Duncan left. I didn’t see him again until 1815 after Waterloo.”

Anthony bowed his head as he remembered who else was there, Brother Darius. He had been friends with Darius for over seventeen hundred years, had fought beside him before his change of life at the gates of Paris. While Grayson had felt betrayed, Anthony had not. On some level, he understood what had happened. He’d often felt it, when he took a quickening. That period of time where you came to terms with what you had just done.

He also knew that a man’s soul was like a pendulum, moving between good and evil. With each new quickening, each new soul, that balance shifted. The more powerful the quickening, the older the other immortal, the more that balance moved. Anthony felt himself to have been lucky so far, despite all of the heads he’d taken over the centuries. He was still who he had always been, more or less. Just a lot older and a little wiser.


	7. Chapter 7

June 19, 2014

Starling City

 

Oliver was standing on the roof of a building on the edge of the Glades, just taking a moment to listen to the city. The sound of police sirens in the distance, cars driving down the road. Fortunately, there were no screams at the moment, but that wasn’t likely to last.

“I must say, I love what you’ve done with the city,” came a voice from behind him, a voice belonging to a person he hated with every fiber of his being.

Oliver turned and fired without a pause, not hesitation at all, then a second arrow followed quickly by a third. All three were caught by Malcolm, who wore his usual smirk as he casually dropped the last arrow on top of the pair that had proceeded it. He then held his hands up.

“I’m not here to fight you, Oliver.”

“Then why are you here?” Oliver asked, the knuckles on his hands white, his hands were clinched so tightly.

“Thea,” was all Malcolm said.

“She’s not here.”

“I know. But the real question is, do you know where she is?”

“Somewhere in Europe,” Oliver told him, watching the older man closely.

“Is that what she told you?” Malcolm asked, that damned smirk still in place.

Oliver couldn’t think of a response to that, so he kept quiet. He saw Malcolm reach into the jacket of his black League uniform and he just stopped himself from reaching for an arrow when the hand came out holding a smartphone. Once he unlocked it, he held it out for Oliver to take.

Wary of some trick, Oliver cautiously accepted the phone and looked. It showed a photo of a plane on a darkened tarmac. What that meant, he didn’t know. But it was obvious that Malcolm wanted to see it for some reason. He slowly scrolled through the rest of the photographs, his hand tightening on the phone so much that Malcolm actually thought it would crumble to dust. It also told him that the moment had come to speak.

“Because of the Undertaking, as well as other things, Ra’s has ordered that I be brought before him,” Malcolm said.

“What does that have to do with Thea?” Oliver ground out, fighting to control the rage that was flowing through him. The urge to reach out and wrap his hand around the other man’s neck.

“Because the League holds that the sins of the father are the sin of the son, or daughter in this case. Whatever punishment Ra’s has in store for me, he will also visit upon Thea as well.”

“How much time do I have?”

“Some. I just don’t know how much. Ra’s is patient, knowing that time works more for him than it does for us,” Malcolm replied.

Oliver took a moment and sent the photos on to Felicity, hoping that she could find anything that his eye had missed. He also wanted to make sure that the photos hadn’t been altered in any way. He didn’t trust Malcolm Merlyn and he didn’t put it past the man to try to manipulate him into fighting the League for him. He knew he would have to keep that in the front of his mind during his planning and before he took any definite action.

Knowing he needed to think and that any rational thought would be impossible with Malcolm near, Oliver pulled out a grapnel arrow and fired it off into the distance. He then jumped from the roof of the building and swung out on the line. He could hear Malcolm shout after him, but he didn’t care. Not right now, maybe not even later.

About ten minutes later, he was getting close to Verdant and the lair. He was just thinking about heading in when he heard the screams. Pausing, he listened more carefully and then took off at a run once he got their direction. He ran with a purpose, knowing that someone’s life might depend on it.

When he reached the alley, he found a young woman trapped by a small gang of men. There was just enough light that he could clearly see the fear written on the woman’s face, as she looked for any way out. Unfortunately for her, the only exit was through the gang.

“Come on, baby. My friends and I will make sure you enjoy it,” one of the men said, drawing a laugh from the others.

“Or are you a dyke? If that’s the case, we can always call a few of the gals over to play with you,” another man said.

“But with a hot body like that, it would be a waste if you are.”

Oliver wasn’t in the mood to hear any more, so he stepped off the edge of the roof and landed in the alley behind the men. They were so focused on their prey that none of them realized a much bigger predator had arrived. Their first clue was the scream of one of the men as Oliver grabbed his wrist and twisted it so hard that it broke the man’s radius and ulna. Using the now crippled man as a wrecking ball, he launched him into the group, knocking down a pair of them. Continuing forward, he grabbed the next man by the back of the neck and slammed his head into the brick wall of the building that bordered the alley, knocking him unconscious. The last man standing was reaching for his pistol when Oliver took a flechette and rammed it through his shoulder, severing the Brachial Plexus.

“Leave,” was all Oliver said to the woman, who picked her way past the fallen gang members. Once she reached the street, she ran.

Oliver took a moment and looked at the men on the ground. Except for the man with the broken arm and the one with the flechette in his shoulder, they would all heal up relatively quickly. And be right back out on the streets doing this to someone else, a dark voice whispered in his ear. As it did, he thought about something Nyssa had said to him. ‘Your city falls because you are not willing to do what is necessary.’ She was more right than he wished to admit, even if only to himself.

He knew when he’d changed, or at least the two events that had caused the change. Felicity Smoak came into his life and Tommy Merlyn had died in the Undertaking. He’d been so focused on killing Malcolm that he’d been too late to save his best friend. How many more of the five hundred and three who’d died might he have saved, he’d wondered at the time. And so, he’d made a promise to his late friend to try a different way. That way had been revealed by Felicity, with her words about him not needing to kill so much to save the city. He’d listened and began to slowly change. Now, he had to wonder how many people had suffered from his refusal to take a life.

A few minutes later, he walked down the stairs to the lair, his hood pushed back. Felicity and Diggle were both there. Felicity was focused on the photos he’d sent, while Diggle stood silently and watched as Oliver put up his bow and quiver. The older man seemed to sense the turmoil that he was undergoing and gave him some time.

“The photos are all scanned and I have them running through facial recognition software right now,” Felicity said as she spun around in her chair. “How did you get the photos anyway?”

“Malcolm Merlyn,” Oliver said tightly, his jaw clinched.

“I’m sorry, but I could have sworn that you said Malcolm Merlyn.”

Oliver took a set of deep breaths to keep control, so that he didn’t lash out at Felicity. He was thankful that Felicity gave him a moment, not babbling on. If he had been looking, he would have seen that it was Diggle who actually gave him the moment by waving Felicity off. The older man didn’t know what Oliver was going through, just that he needed a second before they started asking questions.

“Yes, it was Malcolm Fucking Merlyn. And no, I don’t know how he’s still alive. Right now, I don’t even care, because he’s not the most important problem. When he showed me those photos, he said that the League of Assassins took Thea. That the League is after him because of the Undertaking and that they hold the sins of the father are the sins of the daughter. Meaning that Thea will face the same punishment that Malcolm will simply because she’s his daughter.”

“And the punishment?” Diggle asked.

“He didn’t say. But given it’s the League of Fucking Assassins, I somehow doubt it’s a spanking and being sent to bed without supper,” Oliver rasped out in response.

“What about Sara? Do you think you could reach her? See if she could help?” Felicity asked, as her computer chimed. Spinning her chair back to the monitors, she gasped, drawling Diggle and Oliver over to her.

“I’m going to take that as a ‘NO’,” was all Diggle said as he looked at the results. He didn’t know how Felicity did what she did, didn’t know whose software she was using, though from the information they had gotten back it was likely A.R.G.U.S. Right now, it didn’t matter. Only that it be accurate, because this was important. The software had been able to recognize four people, so far. Thea Queen was obvious, as was Nyssa Al Ghul, given that neither of them had done anything to disguise themselves. Another was someone they had never heard of, though clearly Interpol had at some point. But the last was the one that sealed things, as it was Sara Lance. OK, there was a seventy-two percent probability that it was Sara, as Felicity had been quick to point out, not that either Diggle or Oliver were buying that. No, it was Sara.

Diggle knew the moment Oliver reached that conclusion, as would likely the entire block around the old steel mill. Oliver turned away with a roar that would have done a male lion proud and used his arm to sweep clean the worktable behind them. Then, he flipped the table before snatching up his bow and quiver and storming out of the lair. Roy just happened to be coming down the stairs as Oliver was going up and tried to engage him in conversation, only to be shoved aside.

“Where’s he going?” Roy asked as he made his way down the last few steps.

“Don’t know,” Diggle told him, as he went to get the worktable back up.

“What the hell happened here?”

“Oliver didn’t react too well to something he just found out. And now I’m wondering how you’re going to react to it, too,” Felicity said, drawing Roy’s eyes to her and the monitors behind her.

“Is that Thea?”

“Yeah, Roy, it is.”

“And isn’t that the woman that was here a month ago, the one that Sara knew,” Roy said, looking at the pictures.

“Her name is Nyssa Al Ghul, daughter of Ra’s Al Ghul. Her father leads the League of Assassins and she is his heir,” Diggle told him.

“And Thea is with her? With them?”

“As far as we know, she is their prisoner.”

With that news, Roy sat down and Diggle took the opportunity to fill in the young man. Not that they knew a bunch and not that Diggle completely trusted what they knew. Even if it was the truth, or at least one version of it.

What none of the four members of Team Arrow knew about were the pair of assassins that were currently watching them. When Ra’s had set his plan in motion, he’d already considered the multitude of possible counter moves available to Al Sa-Her. With those in mind, he’d deployed some of his men to watch and gather intelligence. Starling City had been high on Ra’s lists for a number of reasons and not just for Oliver Queen or Malcolm Merlyn. His men were also gathering information that could be used when the League would eventually have to take action. The corruption and crime plaguing the city rivaled that of Gotham and could not be allowed to continue to grow much more.

Ra’s had developed a small measure of respect for Oliver Queen, for attempting to stop the tidal wave that threatened to swamp his city. But that respect was tempered by a measure of disappointment. The promise that the vigilante had shown in his first year in Starling had faded into half-measures and holding actions. Sending already dangerous men to prison, where they could learn to become even more dangerous, was an action ultimately doomed to failure. As men like the Count or the Dollmaker should have shown.

When the pair of assassins heard that Malcolm was in Starling, one of them left for their safe house. The other remained to watch and listen. He doubted that Al Sa-Her would come to the abandoned club tonight, but he would remain watchful.

 

June 20, 2014

Nanda Parbat

 

Sarab put away the phone and turned to enter the training room. Ra’s was currently practicing against a dozen assassins. Seeing one of his horsemen, he made quick work of his opponents before dismissing them. Sarab advanced and knelt while Ra’s finished cleaning up.

“What news?” Ra’s asked.

“Malcolm Merlyn is in Starling City. He met with Oliver Queen and gave him the photos of young Miss Queen,” Sarab told him.

“His reaction?”

“Violently angry. On his way back from that meeting, he came upon a group of men intent on assaulting a young woman. He attacked them and the assassin watching him reported that all the men ended up being hospitalized, two of them permanently crippled.”

“But still not angry enough to kill,” Ra’s replied.

Sarab remained silent at that, allowing Ra’s time to think. Ra’s was interested to see how the vigilante reacted. He knew that there was no love between the man and Al Sa-Her, that the man blamed the death of his father on Al Sa-Her. Ra’s wondered who he would blame more for this: the League or Al Sa-Her. Could there be a way to tip that?

“Nyssa and Ta-er Al-Sahfer should be with Miss Queen and Mister Rossi. Take two assassins with you, have them watch over our guests. Have Nyssa and Ta-er Al-Sahfer report to me,” Ra’s said.

Sarab bowed his head before rising to his feet and taking his leave. It took him a few moments to collect a pair of assassins for the task, then make their way to the training room that Ra’s had set aside. Motioning for the pair to take up posts outside of the room, Sarab walked inside. Nyssa was on the floor, facing Sara and Thea. The trio were meditating. He moved silently, but not silently enough as Nyssa’s left eye opened slightly before closing again.

In the center of the room, Anthony was moving through a set of katas. Watching, a brief, involuntary smile came to Sarab’s face, a memory of his former life, his former wife. Pushing the thoughts again, he turned back to where Nyssa sat.

“Nyssa, Ta-er Al-Sahfer. Ra’s Al Ghul commands your presence,” Sarab told them.

“Miss Queen and Mister Rossi?” Nyssa asked as she stood effortlessly.

“May remain here or may return to their rooms. There are a pair of assassins outside to watch them until your return.”

“Very well.”

Once Sara was standing, the three of them left the room. They made their way first to the training room where Ra’s had been. Finding it empty, Sarab then led them to Ra’s ceremonial hall, where the Lazarus Pit was. Ra’s stood at the edge of the Pit, so the three walked into the hall and when they were about halfway across the floor, stopped and knelt. After a moment, Ra’s turned and approached.

“Nyssa, Ta-er Al-Sahfer. Al Sa-Her is reported to be in Starling City. It is believed that he is trying to recruit Mister Queen and turn him against us. You both will go to Starling City and speak with Mister Queen, convincing him of the true nature of his sister’s stay with us,” Ra’s told him, paying particular attention to Sara’s face as he spoke. He could clearly see the emotions that she was trying to hide. “You have something you wish to say, Ta-er Al-Sahfer?”

“Convincing Oliver won’t be easy, especially if Merlyn’s already begun spinning his lies. What are your orders if he won’t listen to reason?” Sara asked, though she already had a very good idea.

“While Mister Queen may be an innocent party in this, if he insists on siding against the League, I expect you to do whatever is necessary. Remember, this is not a mission to capture Al Sa-Her.”

“When do we leave?” Nyssa asked.

“Immediately. As Ta-er Al-Sahfer has pointed out, convincing Mister Queen is easier the less time Al Sa-Her has to whisper his lies,” Ra’s told them. “There will be a jet waiting by the time you reach the landing strip.”

“As you command.”

With a bow of their heads, Nyssa and Sara rose and left the room. The duo quickly made their way to their room, wordlessly agreeing to meet at the road leading from Nanda Parbat. Both were experienced, which meant that they always had a bag of clothes ready. Packing only consisted of selecting the weapons that they would take with them, as well as spares. By the time they met up fifteen minutes later, they were each carrying two bags.

Two hours later, their flight was in the air and on its way to Starling City.

 

June 20, 2014

Starling City

 

Oliver sat at the bar inside Verdant, a cup of coffee in front of him. The club was closed and very likely would remain that way. At least until someone scooped it up, someone with actual money. When that happened, he’d have to find another location for the lair. Then again, it might not, given that not many people had been interested in investing in the Glades before the Undertaking. Last month and Slade’s Army rampaging through town had only increased people looking to leave Starling.

The sound of the door opening reached him, yet he didn’t turn. Just took a drink from the cup of coffee, letting the caffeine work its magic. When he heard the person approach, Oliver spoke.

“Sorry, we’re not open.”

“Shame, really. You and Tommy finally accomplished something,” came the amused tone of Malcolm Merlyn. “Too much to expect it to last.”

“What do you want, Malcolm?” Oliver asked.

“The same thing I wanted yesterday when we talked. I need your help to save Thea.”

“Why do you need my help? You turn yourself over to the League and they’ll let Thea go, because it’s you that they want. That simple.”

“Remember what I told you about the sins of the father being the sins of the daughter? Ra’s Al Ghul and the League of Assassins do not take prisoners, except to await their punishment. And for the crimes Ra’s will hold me guilty of, there is only one punishment and that is death,” Malcolm told him.

“And you’re saying that Thea faces the exact same punishment, simply for being your ‘daughter’?” Oliver questioned.

“It’s simple, really. Ra’s would rather kill the family now than face them coming for him, for the League in ten, twenty years. Granted, they would likely lose even then, but Ra’s isn’t a gambler. Plus, letting her go would be considered a weakness by the enemies of the League, one that they would seek to exploit in some manner.”

Oliver went silent at that, focusing on his coffee. Taking a sip, he found that it had grown cold. Getting up from the bar stool, he went around behind the bar to the coffee machine. Pouring out the cold coffee from his cup, he took a refill from the pot. Looking at Malcolm with a raised eyebrow, he was rewarded with a head shake. He then took his fresh coffee back to his seat.

The door to the club opened again, this time by Diggle. He’d seen the car out front and decided to use the club entrance to see who it was. Seeing Malcolm Merlyn standing there, while Oliver was nursing a cup of something set the hairs on the back of his neck on end. So, he stood by the door and kept a close watch on the man.

“Think about what I said, Oliver,” Malcolm said, as he took a card from his inside jacket pocket and put it on the bar.

Oliver just looked at him, then the card, then back at him. Then, Malcolm turned and walked to the club entrance, smirking at Diggle as he approached. Malcolm could sense the man wanted to strike out in some way, but was keeping himself in check for now. He would have laughed at that man, remembering how easily he had beaten them, until Oliver had executed a move born of sheer desperation.

Once Malcolm was outside, Diggle locked the door. He didn’t want to chance that worm coming back inside. He was also a little disappointed in Oliver for listening to the man, given all that he had done. Still, he pushed that down, remembering that there was something else at play here and he couldn’t deny, even to himself, that if the roles were reversed, he would be willing to listen to Satan himself to save his brother.

“What did Merlyn want?” Diggle said as he came over and took the stool next to Oliver.

“Still trying to convince me to help him. Because that’s ultimately what it boils down to, I’m sure,” Oliver said.

“So, you think he’s trying to manipulate you. Question is, into doing what?”

“That is the million dollar question. It can’t be going to war with the League, Malcolm’s too smart to consider that an actual plan. There must be something more, something that he hasn’t told me, but right now, I just don’t know.”

“At least you’re asking yourself the questions, man,” Diggle said. “That’s a good start.”

“Maybe, but even if I get the answers, do I trust them,” Oliver replied, draining his cup of coffee. “Because Malcolm will surely be trying to twist things, just to get the result that he wants.”

“Then we need to figure out what he wants, besides saving his own miserable skin.”

Oliver nodded his head at that. He then took the coffee cup to the bar sink and washed it, setting it back by the pot of coffee. After that, the two men went down to the basement. Oliver wasn’t planning on going out tonight, so he and Diggle began to spar. They worked on hand-to-hand for the first hour, then moved on to the Escrima sticks. They both went full out, knowing that was the only way to make sure they were ready for when they hit the streets.

By the time they were finished, both men were tired and hungry. They decided to hit Big Belly Burger for dinner. Oliver knew Felicity was at work, so he sent her a quick text just to let her know that she didn’t need to be a the lair tonight. When they got to the restaurant, Oliver grabbed them a booth while Diggle placed the order.

“So, any divine inspiration about Merlyn’s evil plans,” Diggle said softly when he sat down.

“Nothing. I just know that whatever it is, isn’t about Thea. I mean, Malcolm ended up dropping a building on Tommy and it didn’t seem to upset him,” Oliver replied, thinking about everything. “We’re just missing too many pieces of the puzzle to figure this out.”

“Personally, I’d stay as far away from Merlyn as I could, Oliver.”

“Even if it’s the only way to save my sister?”

“Then we find another way. Because I’ll do anything to help you get Thea back, but not at the expense of you becoming Malcolm Merlyn’s bitch,” Diggle said, looking Oliver hard in the eye.

“Thanks,” was all Oliver could say, not sure if he agreed with the older man entirely, but knowing that they would have each other’s backs.

With dinner done, the pair drove back to the old steel foundry and Oliver got out of the van. Diggle had plans for the evening, with Lyla if Oliver had to take a guess. Slipping into the abandoned night club, he made his way to the entrance to the basement before stopping dead in his tracks. He was positive that he had closed and locked the door. Seeing it cracked open, he pulled out his phone and checked. Okay, there was the reply from Felicity and no, she wasn’t coming here tonight. Instead, she had plans it seemed, something about a Doctor Who marathon and red wine. Oliver couldn’t stop the slight grin, as Felicity could even babble in her texts.

Oliver reached into a hiding space by the door, removing a pair of metal batons, a bow and quiver. After everything that happened with Slade, he’d started stashing weapons outside of the lair. Once armed, he pushed the door open and slowly stepped through. Knocking an arrow, he made his way down the stairs, eyes scanning. The lights were on, but he didn’t see anyone as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

Still feeling uneasy, he slowly released the tension on the bowstring. It didn’t make any sense to him, which prompted him to take a close look around. He checked the weapons, the supplies, even Felicity’s computer. Though he was certain to hear some choice words from the blonde the next time she was here. Nothing was missing, damaged or looked like it had been tampered with.

“Hello, Ollie,” came a voice he’d never forget.

As he snapped around, a war was taking place inside of him. One side was the Ollie who wanted to hug his friend, letting her know how happy he was to see her again. But the other side, the bigger side, was the Arrow. He just looked at Sara as a target, one of the people responsible for his sister’s kidnapping. That side wanted nothing more than to put an arrow through her heart, maybe wrap his hands around her throat and strangle her or just let it all go in a good, old-fashioned bare-knuckled beat down. Taking a deep breath, he put the bow on the table closest and let his hands drop to his sides. Sara, however, didn’t miss the way his fists were clinched, knuckles white.

“We need to talk.”

“You’re damned right we do, Sara,” Oliver ground out. “You kidnapped my sister and delivered her to Ra’s Al Ghul. You do know what he’s going to do to her, right?”

“Actually, I do. The question is, do you know what he’s going to do? Or are you going to take the word of Malcolm Merlyn? A man who has proven that he can’t be trusted,” Sara said.

“I may not trust him, but right now, I don’t trust you either.”

Sara felt the sting of those words, but pushed it aside. Right now wasn’t about her. It was about getting Oliver to see the truth, a truth that he might not want to see. Getting him to see that truth was the only hope that she had, not just to keep Oliver from doing something impulsive or even joining with Malcolm but from the inevitable consequences of those actions as well.

“Thea was never in any danger, Ollie. She still isn’t. Our orders from Ra’s were very specific, she was not to be harmed nor was anyone with her.”

“And what’s to stop this Ra’s from changing his mind?” Oliver asked, watching her face.

“What do you want me to say, Ollie? That he won’t? I can’t make a promise like that and you know it,” Sara responded, anger tinging her voice. “He’s the Demon’s Head, the entire League exists to serve his will. If he decided tomorrow to cut her down, there would be nothing I could do. But, that’s not going to happen, Ollie. All Ra’s wants is Malcolm Merlyn.”

“And what about the fact that Thea now knows where the secret headquarters of the League of Assassins is? Is she going to be given the same choice you were when Nyssa took you there?”

“No, Ollie. Nyssa already spoke with her father and….”

“My father has assured me that whatever happens, your sister will be free to leave,” Nyssa said as she emerged from the shadows. “The League does not exist to harm the innocent, Mister Queen, but rather to protect them by replacing evil with death. Not the small-scale that you are battling for the most part, but rather sexual slavery rings, drug cartels, human trafficking.”

“And what about the fact that you are clearly after Malcolm Merlyn and she is his daughter?” Oliver asked.

“We judge a person by their actions, not their parentage.”

“What did Malcolm say, Ollie? Some line about the sins of the father being the sins of the son or daughter?” Sara asked with a laugh. “Yeah, the League is a little old fashioned, but not that much.”

Oliver leaned back against the table, blowing out a breath and closing his eyes. He wanted desperately to trust her, to believe in what she was telling him. But was that because it was what he wanted to hear? To believe? What Malcolm had said spoke to the Oliver that had been forged by the hardships of Lian Yu and the five years of hell he’d endured, years where he’d learned the price of trusting others. Sara’s words were aimed at the man who’d wanted to get off that island and get back to his family. Thea was now the only family he had left and he didn’t know if he could survive losing her.

Nyssa and Sara remained silent, knowing that Oliver was likely at a tipping point. The wrong word now could undo everything they were hoping to accomplish. While Nyssa wouldn’t necessarily shed any tears if she had to stop Mister Queen in a more direct way, she knew that it would affect not only Sara, but also Thea. In the short time she had known the young woman, she found that she liked her. She did not know if that was shared, but she felt it none the less.

Oliver slowly opened his eyes, his mind settling. He just hoped what he’d chosen was the right course of action. He could feel the doubts trying to rise, to force him to reexamine his decision. He pushed those down, so that he could focus on the mission. Focus on saving his sister. Pulling out his cell phone, he made a call that would hopefully start the process.

“Malcolm,” Oliver ground out when the call was answered. “When can we meet.”


	8. Chapter 8

June 21, 2014  
Starling City

Malcolm Merlyn stood on the rooftop, dressed as the Dark Archer. He had been pleasantly surprised by Oliver’s phone call, having expected it to take days before the younger man was ready to join him. Perhaps he hadn’t fully appreciated what all of the losses suffered had done. Robert, then Tommy and Moira, now the possibility of losing Thea. For himself, all it had taken was Rebecca’s death to get him to embrace the darkness that lived within. He could still remember that night as if it was yesterday, the devastation he’d felt after the officer had broken the news. Tommy had focused on the saintly woman that was his mother, while Malcolm had instead focused on the Satan's spawn that had killed her and the others who had uncaringly walked past the dying woman.

If he tried, he could just make out the building that housed the clinic. The street where his wife had bleed out and died had escaped the Undertaking. Eventually, he would have to do something about that. Only when the whole area was a pile of rubble would he be able to bury the pain as well, because as long as they lived, they could just do the same thing to another woman, another wife and mother. And if it happened again, then the death of his sweet Rebecca had been for nothing.

“Hello, Oliver,” Malcolm says, not turning to acknowledge the arrival of the other man. “I’m glad you decided. Now, we can begin your training.”

However, it isn’t a voice that responds, but rather the familiar sound of a bowstring having been released. Malcolm just manages to turn and catch the arrow, taking in the sight before him. Then, the arrowhead explodes, releasing a cloud of something. Before he can fully realize what has happened, the weaponized gas has him on his knees. Malcolm can vaguely make out the trio that now slowly approach him, his eyes feeling heavy and slowly closing as consciousness leaves him.

Nyssa and Sara crouched next to the unconscious form and worked quickly to get him bound. Once he is secure, Oliver lifted the body to his shoulder and the group depart the rooftop. A few blocks away, they descend to an alley where Diggle has the van waiting for them. Regardless of everything, Nyssa is still hyper alert, as if she expects Oliver’s conscience to kick in and regret the kidnapping of Malcolm Merlyn, not to mention being a party to his death.

Sara, however, knew better, because she knew Ollie better than Nyssa did. This act had been Ollie choosing a side. Now, he would be counting on Nyssa and Ra’s to honor their end of the bargain that he believed had been made through this. The regrets would come later, once he had time to consider the consequences.

A half hour later, the van reached an abandoned airfield on the outskirts of Starling City. A jet awaited them at the end of the runway, so Diggle drove the van towards it. A group of assassins emerged from the shadows. Diggle remained behind the wheel, while Oliver got out to assist with removing Malcolm from the back of the van.

“Mister Queen, that will not be necessary,” Nyssa said, as a pair of assassins came up to claim the group’s prize.

“Nyssa, I’m trusting your father to release my sister unharmed,” Oliver said. “Because I’ve crossed the Rubicon tonight.”

“You would court war with the League?”

“Yes, because if my sister is harmed after this, then I can only assume that the League seeks to make war with me. Now that you have Malcolm, the only remaining reason for you to keep my sister would be as leverage against me.”

“You have my word, Thea will be escorted to a location of her choosing, unharmed,” Nyssa told him, before turning for the waiting plane, giving Sara and Oliver a moment alone.

“Take care of yourself, Ollie,” Sara told him. “Watch over my family, please.”

“Always, Sara,” Oliver said, resting a hand on her shoulder. “You take care of yourself, too.”

Watching her turn and walk away, Oliver swallowed the lump in his throat. Her leaving brought with it a sense of loss, because he’d already lost her twice before. He hoped that this would be like those times and that he’d see her again, but the fact that he couldn’t be sure is what ate at him. Even if they’d never been destined to be more than friends with benefits, he would always care about her. Just like he still cared about Laurel.

Oliver stood there, lost in his thoughts as the jet took off and disappeared into the night sky. It was only a cough from Diggle that brought him back to the here and now. Going to the passenger side door, he climbed in and waited for the van to pull away. When it didn’t, he looked over at Diggle.

“Are you sure about this, Oliver?” Diggle asked.

“It’s a little late to be asking that question, isn’t it?” Oliver asked back.

“Only because you never gave me the chance to ask it before now.”

“No, I’m not sure. Is that what you wanted to hear? I’m not sure I can trust Nyssa or her father, but I’m also sure that I wouldn’t have been able to trust Malcolm, either. I could have done the whole ‘Devil you know’ thing, except the devil I know would feed me to the lions with that same smirk on his face.”

“Doesn’t mean that Nyssa and Sara wouldn’t have lied to you, if it meant getting what Ra’s wants,” Diggle said.

“Maybe. And I know if I’m wrong, then I’ve just condemned two people. But, I’ll have to live with that,” Oliver said, his tone making it clear that he wasn’t sure how he would do that.  
Diggle couldn’t think of anything to say to that, so he dropped the gear shift into drive and pulled away from the airfield. He hoped for his friend’s sake that Thea would be let go. But, whatever happened, he would be there for Oliver.

June 22, 2014  
Nanda Parbat

Ra’s Al Ghul was standing, observing the training that was occurring. This was as much to get a sense of how the new recruits were doing, as to see how those responsible for their training were doing in teaching them. Sometimes, the failings were not due to the student not being able or willing to learn, but the teacher not finding the correct method of instruction. As it was, he was well pleased with this class, though nothing on his face would give anyone that impression.

“My lord,” Sarab said from behind him, “the plane from Starling City has landed.”

Ra’s hid his surprise at that news well. From everything he’d heard about Oliver Queen, he’d expected things to take longer than a day. The man was reported to be stubborn beyond belief. He knew Nyssa well enough to know she would not have failed in her mission. He was curious, not knowing what to make of this, wondering what Nyssa or more likely Ta-er Al-Sahfer had said to him.

For now, he would patiently await his daughter’s presence. There were other missions occurring around the world, many of greater importance than this. Going into his study, with Sarab following him. Reading through the reports, he issued orders as necessarily. By the time he was finished, almost two hours had passed. If the report of the plane landing had been sent as soon as possible, Ra’s judged that Nyssa should now be approaching the path leading to the gates of the fortress.

Standing up, Ra’s left his study. Going into the ceremonial hall, he stood with his back to the doorway and waited. Soon, he heard the faint sound of footsteps, drawing a frown. Nyssa had not made that sound since she was twelve and Ta-er Al-Sahfer had been well training by his daughter in the art of stealth. Still, he waited, letting his senses flow outward. Then, he heard the sound of two people knelling.  
Ra’s waited a few long moments before turning around. Nyssa and Ta-er Al-Sahfer were front and center, both with their hoods pushed back and eyes on the floor. Looking them over, he observed no signs of injuries that might have forced their return. With a flick of his hand, the pair rose and stood before him.

“Your report,” Ra’s said.

“The mission was a complete success,” Nyssa responded.

“Then Mister Queen will not be a problem?”

“No. Mister Queen listened to what Ta-er Al-Sahfer and I had to say and placed his faith in us. He even presented us with a gift for you, as a sign of that faith. Bring him!”

With that command, Ra’s again heard the footsteps, much closer now. Focusing on the door to the hall, he soon saw a pair of assassins carrying a struggling body between them. A rare smile crossed his face as he realized who that was. Then he pushed it down, turning his gaze back to the pair of women.

“Were my orders not clear? Your mission was not the capture of Al Sa-Her, but to remove the possible obstacle of Mister Queen,” Ra’s told them.

“Are you saying we should have refused this gift, my lord? Oliver offered this so that his sister might be freed, unharmed,” Sara told him. “We told him that all you wanted was Malcolm Merlyn. We told him that the League does not harm the innocent.”

“Silence. You forget your place, Ta-er Al-Sahfer. The League exists to do my will, not yours or Mister Queen’s. Now that I have seen how quickly he bends to the threat against his sister, I wonder if I should not keep her here, as the time may come when I will have to deal with Starling City.”

Walking over, he looked directly down at the bound form of Malcolm Merlyn.

“If I do have to cleanse Starling City, it will be because of you and your Undertaking. Your irrational hatred of the Glades, your shortsightedness, will have led to that moment. If, when I released you, you had returned home and acted as a surgeon instead of a butcher, the city would have been saved.”

“No, my lord,” Malcolm said, knowing that his pleas were not likely to save his life, but not willing to meekly submit either. “The city was lost, drowning in the filth, filth coming from the open sewer that is the Glades. The Undertaking was meant to cap that sewage, by replacing it with death.”

“No, the people of the Glades were driven to that state by men like you, men who used their wealth and power to steal from them. Steal their money, their livelihoods, their hope. The actions of you and your fellows, like Robert Queen, Frank Chen. It created a self-fulfilling prophecy, where crime increased after each month of jobs leaving, pension funds being looted, severance packages denied. As for your solution, the Undertaking was a monumental failure. Even if both of your devices had succeeded, it still would have be a failure.”

“No, it would have been a success. We would have rebuilt the area, we would have been able to make it a beacon of hope.”

“And what of the criminals who would have survived the earthquake? Where do you think that they would have gone? Or the inmates from Iron Heights who were able to escape in the aftermath, men like Barton Mathis. Those people have gone after the rest of the city, meaning all that you succeeded in doing is spreading the disease and infecting the rest of the city. Now, it will be all the more difficult to stop without having the cleanse the entire city,” Ra’s told him.

“Then let me hunt for you once more,” Malcolm said, looking up at him. “I was once your horseman, I can be again.”

“No, Al Sa-Her. Only one that I trust can have the title of horseman and I have learned better than to trust you. Take him away.”

With a bow of their heads, the two masked assassins drug the resisting body of Malcolm Merlyn out of the hall. The remaining four in the hall stood with blank expressions on their faces. Nyssa and Sara waited for Ra’s to command them.

“Sarab, bring Miss Queen and Mister Rossi here,” Ra’s said.

Once Sarab had left the room, Ra’s fixed his gaze on his daughter and her lover. Yes, she is his heir and with that title comes a certain power, but she still needs to be reminded that he is in command. That his command is law, to be obeyed without complaint or question. At least not where anyone other than himself might hear and even then only rarely. Signs of division would encourage their enemies, not to mention lead to internal conflicts.

When Thea and Anthony enter the room, they come about half way before they kneel. Ra’s is impressed to see that Thea does so without question. He does notice that she is about half a pace behind Anthony and positioned so that he can protect her, if need be. He does not get a sense of fear from her, but rather an informed wariness. With the proper training, he knows that she would have made an excellent member of the League. Still, he understood the points that Nyssa had brought up when arguing against her joining.

Leaving them knelling for the moment, he searches his mind. He recognizes that, even if it wasn’t the intention, he owes a debt to Mister Queen. Honor alone would have led to Thea Queen’s release, for she was truly innocent. And regardless of what outsiders like A.R.G.U.S. might believe, the League was honorable, by its own standards. All that had been asked of Mister Queen was that he stand aside when the time came. Instead, the man had trapped the great Al Sa-her and then presented him as a gift. Not for personal gain, but for his sister’s freedom. Making a decision, he motions for the pair of outsiders to rise.

“Miss Queen, Mister Rossi. You will doubtlessly be pleased to know that your time here will be over soon,” Ra’s said. “But, before you go, I would like to extend an offer to you, Miss Queen. And, not the one that Mister Rossi is no doubt afraid of.”

“What is the offer, Ra’s?” Thea asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

“As an expression of my sincerest apologies for all that I have inflected on you and knowing a little about the life you have now entered through my hand, I would like to offer some assistance in your training. To that end, Nyssa and Ta-er Al-Sahfer will accompany you for the next two years, teaching you not just the sword, but also hand-to-hand combat, stealth and anything else Mister Rossi thinks might benefit you.”

“What’s the catch?”

“Only a small one, child. I would encourage your return to Starling City, where Nyssa and Ta-er Al-Sahfer might assist your brother in his nightly duties,” Ra’s told her, a slight smirk on his face

“What, running a night club? Though I doubt we even have that, since Queen Consolidated owned the building and we were served with eviction papers,” Thea told him.

“Well, as the daughter of Malcolm Merlyn, you should have access to his fortune. Surely enough money to rescue that club were it your wish. But the duties I speak of are those as the Arrow.”

Thea was shocked. Of all the things that she had expected to be told, that wasn’t even in the top twenty. After all, he brother had been cleared by the police. Yes, she knew that he disappeared all the time and had some of the worst excuses known to man. But, the vigilante? No, that couldn’t be Ollie. She would have kept on denying it to herself if she hadn’t looked at Sara and saw it in her eyes, saw the truth.

“You knew?”

“Ta-er Al-Sahfer left the League for a brief time after the Undertaking, driven by a desire to make sure her family was safe. She assisted the Arrow numerous times last year, as did Nyssa. They returned after Slade Wilson and his army were defeated, leaving the city protected by your brother, Mister Harper, Mister Diggle and Miss Smoak. A good team, that I think with the assistance of my daughter and Ta-er Al-Sahfer could become a great one,” Ra’s told her.

Thea is shaken to her very core. The information about her brother was enough to rock her, but then to find out that not only was her former boyfriend fighting as the Arrow’s sidekick, but had also known it was Ollie. Plus Mister Diggle being in on the secret, though that was somewhat less of a surprise the more she thought about it. I mean, he would have to have known, wouldn’t he.

“Thea can’t go back to Starling,” Anthony said, finally speaking and bringing up his major objection to what Ra’s was proposing.

“For what reason?”

“Because she died. To keep her immortality a secret, she must leave that life behind and start a new life elsewhere.”

“Who in Starling City would know that she died? All that they would know is that she left for a month or two, taking some time to herself after the death of her mother. Then, she returned to her home,” Ra’s said.

Anthony turned his head enough to look at Thea. He could see her dueling emotions plainly on her face, the want of going home and seeing her brother again versus the distrust her still has for him and Roy. It is the want that ultimately wins, however.

“I accept your offer, Ra’s,” Thea told him with a bow of her head.

“Then you both shall leave tomorrow. Sarab will escort you back to your quarters. I am quite certain Nyssa and Ta-er Al-Sahfer will join you shortly, but I must speak with them both.”

Once Anthony and Thea had left the hall with Sarab, Ra’s turned and walked to his private study. Nyssa and Sara exchanged a brief glance, as they followed along behind him. They were both at a loss to explain the sudden change, but Nyssa knew her father well enough to know it wasn’t done out of mercy or kindness. No, there was certainly a bigger plan behind this.

“You both are shocked by my decision,” Ra’s stated plainly.

“Yes,” Nyssa said. “Considering your earlier words, I would not have expected this generosity towards Miss Queen.”

“It is not generosity that motivates me in this. Rather, it is a means of keeping Miss Queen close while also honoring your promise to Mister Queen. His sister will be returned to him unharmed, as far as he is aware. Your assistance in his fight to save his city rights the wrong done when I released Al Sa-Her and the two years matches the length of time he was with us.”

“So, the two years is finite?” Sarah asked. “And what happens at the end of those two years?”

“That, Ta-er Al-Sahfer, depends on how successful you have been in your missions. If the city has made progress, then you both will simply return home, hopefully leaving a stronger team to complete the task. If the city remains as it is, then there is only one solution left. As for Miss Queen, your training ends after two years,” Ra’s told them.

“Will we be able to call on the League for assistance?” Nyssa asked.

“It would depend on the situation. For arms and armor, yes. For something like Mister Wilson’s army, yes. In most other situations, no. You and Mister Queen’s team will have to do what you can with what you have.”

Nyssa and Sara both fell silent at that. Nyssa was already thinking, trying to plan how to achieve this goal. She knew it was be hard, as she would likely have to fight not just the criminals of Starling City but also Oliver Queen. She recalled her chiding admonishment about his reticence to do what was necessary to save his city. She doubted that has changed. She also knew that there could be only one leader and that while his team might have been thankful for her aid against Slade and his army, they would not accept her or Sara as their leader.

For Sara, her thoughts were solely focused on how to achieve their mission. Failure would result in the death of her father and sister, as Ra’s would not spare them when he cleansed Starling City. The fact that they were good people wouldn’t matter any more than the fact that they were her family. All that would matter was the goal of replacing evil with death. So, if needed, she would do whatever it took to get Oliver to reconsider his ‘No Kill’ policy. Get him to realized that, for some of those he faced, killing was the only way to stop them.

“What should we tell Mister Queen of our missions?” Nyssa asked.

“As little as is necessary,” Ra’s responded.

“As you command.”

Ra’s looked them over one last time before motioning that they were dismissed. Bowing, the pair of women left the room and made their way back to Nyssa’s. Once inside, they sat down on a couch, each with a pad of paper. While Nyssa began working on the basics of their plan, Sara concentrated on the list of equipment that they would need to take with them or have shipped. Some things would already be there, in one of the League safe houses.

By the time they were done, it was night. As much as Nyssa wanted Sara to stay with her, Sara left for her own room. Once they arrived in Starling City, rest would be a precious commodity, so they would both get as much now as they could.

June 24, 2014  
Starling City

The plane landed at the airfield outside of Starling, a pair of black SUVs waiting for them. The group had first flown from Nanda Parbat to Bordeaux, so that both Anthony and Thea could retrieve their clothes. Anthony had also taken Thea and Nyssa aside, escorting them to his weapons room. This was a moment that he had always treasured, gifting one of his students with a sword to call their own. He had a number of swords that he had collected over the centuries, most taken from fallen Immortals.

Anthony had wanted Nyssa there as well, to assist in the selection as the assassin would be teaching Thea as well. While they looked, he stood in the doorway watching her. He could see the moment and memorized the look, the expression of joy, as she slowly pulled a sheathed katana from the rack. The blood red sheath contrasted with the black silk wrapping of the tang, little diamonds of red peeking through, due to the way the silk was laced around.

“An excellent choice, Miss Queen,” Nyssa said from behind her.

“That is your sword now. Make it a part of yourself, because the day may come when it will be the only friend that you have,” Anthony told her.

Thea blinked at the tone of his voice, the sadness in it was palpable. Over the course of his lifetime, Anthony had had four Immortal teachers and dozens of Immortal students. He’d also had to kill several of his students, a few because they’d turned on him, seeking to take his head. The others had become evil, their Immortality making them believe they were Gods, men who carried not for the mortals that they killed. Thea was his first student in almost 100 years, the first new Immortal he’d taught in almost 200.

“If we’re among the last, would you come for me?” Thea asked, looking at him while trying to keep her emotions about such a thing in check.

And that right there was the thing. He didn’t know the answer to that question, not for certain. Everything he’d been taught told him one thing, while the growing feelings he had for the young woman told him something else. The power of the Game versus the power of love. He doubted that there was an Immortal alive that knew the answer to that riddle, not with any certainty. Still, looking at Thea, he knew he needed to give her some answer.

“I don’t know. I would like to believe that I wouldn’t, but I’ve also seen how the Quickening can warp the mind. Would being closer to the last make it more powerful, make it have more influence? I don’t know. So, I would rather have you prepared for that eventuality than have it come as a surprise.”

“I understand.”

While she may have said that, her expression confirmed that she didn’t like that possibility. Anthony didn’t either, but it was the hand that they had been dealt. All he could do was pull her to him for a hug, letting her know how he felt about her in the gesture. Nyssa turned her attention back to the weapons, giving the pair a few moments. She smiled again as her eyes rested on a longbow hidden in the back of the room, a quiver of gray fletched arrows next to it. Reaching out, she let her fingers gently touch the bow with a reverence.

Turning from the bow, she saw Anthony’s eye on her. A part of her felt embarrassed for taking such a liberty with his personal belongings. Yet, seeing that bow there, she was curious about its history. She could tell it was old, but not how old. Walking out of the room, she found Sara waiting for them, a grin crossing her face as she saw the katana that Thea now carried.

The group gathered up the baggage and left the house. Once they arrived at the airfield, they boarded the jet for the flight to Starling City. Thea was sound asleep before the plane even reached its cruising altitude, drawing a smile from Anthony. He knew that this would be a long flight, so he didn’t begrudge her for deciding to sleep through some of it.

On the flight from Nanda Parbat to Bordeaux, he and Nyssa had talked about several important things: where they would be staying in Starling, plans for Thea’s training, how they would explain things to Thea’s brother and how much they would say. For the time being, they would stay at one of the League safe houses. It would offer them the privacy and anonymity that they would require, to begin with. Eventually, Anthony and Thea would have to get their own place or places, especially once Oliver started wanting to come over and see his little sister.

As far as training was concerned, they would divide the day in half. Nyssa and Sara would work with Thea in the mornings, then after lunch and a rest, Anthony would have the afternoons. Thea had the basics of swordsmanship, now was about getting those things to be muscle memory as well as adding more and more skills to her knowledge pool. Nyssa would work with Thea on hand-to-hand fighting, some stealth, which Anthony wondered about, given the Buzz each Immortal felt when near another, as well as meditation and archery.

The biggest thing would be explaining things to Oliver and how much they should tell him or anybody at all. They hadn’t been able to come up with a plan for that, at least not one that they could all agree upon. Anthony had been for telling him as little as possible, while Thea wanted to tell him everything and Nyssa and Sara were somewhere in the middle. And while Anthony understood where she was coming from, he also knew that it wasn’t just her secret to tell. It was his and Duncan’s and ever other Immortal’s secret as well. Trusting the wrong person with this secret could have catastrophic consequences, everything from a new witch hunt to governments experimenting on them to try and unlock the secret of their immortality.

Things had gotten a little heated on the flight to Bordeaux while they were discussing that, as so much of Anthony’s life experiences had flashed before his eyes. Things that were no more than history to them were things that he had lived through and it had angered him that they had seemed to make light of that. Now, though, they were out of time, as they were now in Starling City and would soon be seeing Thea’s brother.

After all the luggage was loaded, they split into pairs for the drive into the city. Anthony and Thea went in one, while Sara and Nyssa took the other. Thea knew that they needed to talk, but wasn’t sure how to bring it up. So, she settled for nonverbal communication, snuggling up against his side and taking his hand in hers. She smiled a little when his hand squeezed hers.

“I’m sorry,” Anthony said softly, getting her to look up at him. “I know how you feel about lies and secrets, while here I am asking you to lie and keep secrets.”

“Secrets that have a reason to be secret, secrets that affect more than just you or me,” Thea told him. “I’m sorry that it seemed like I wasn’t listening to your reasons that things need to be kept secret.”

“It’s alright, Thea. We’re not always going to agree on things and I wouldn’t want us to. I like that you’re a little feisty and willing to stand up for yourself.”

“I don’t like fighting with you.”

“Well, making up can always be fun,” Anthony said with a raised eyebrow and a grin, drawing the laugh from Thea that he had been hoping for.

The SUV stopped before Thea could say anything else. Looking out the window, she saw that they were at Verdant. Getting out, she stood there for a moment just taking it in. The once bright nightclub looked a little run down, causing her to wonder if it had been ransacked during the fighting in the city. It didn’t look like it was even open, yet Nyssa and Sara obviously felt that her brother would be here. The pair were now standing at the front door of the club, waiting for Thea and Anthony to join them.

Thea was surprised to find the door unlocked when she got there. The others stood back, allowing her to go through first. The inside of the club looked relatively clean, if a little dusty here and there. But what really caught her eye was the man sitting, or more accurately sleeping, at the bar. There was a mug next to him, either empty or filled with something that had long since gone cold. Seeing him there like that filled her with a rush of emotions, rooting her to the floor.

The others remained silent, giving her a few moments. When she still hadn’t moved, however, Sara decided to take matters into her own hands. Moving quietly, she approached the bar and picked up the mug. Seeing it was empty, she took it behind the bar and over to the coffee machine. Dumping out what was left in the pot, she refilled the machine and set it to brewing. She could see his nose twitch at the smell of the fresh brew, but it still wasn’t enough to draw him from his slumbers. So, once the pot was full again, she filled the mug and took it over to him.

“Morning, Ollie,” Sara said sweetly. When all that got was a grunt, she poked his shoulder, hard.

“What?!?” Oliver said as he woke up, not even looking at her. “The club is closed, get out.”

“Even for us, Ollie,” Thea said, a grin on her face seeing her brother like this.

The sound of her voice was like a bucket of ice water to the face, snapping him instantly awake. Blinking his eyes, he took in the others in the club. The man with them confused him for a moment until he remembered the pictures that Malcolm had shown him. This was the man who had been with Thea when she was taken. Oliver wondered if this was a new boyfriend, because he seemed so different from Roy. Roy was all rough edges and street smarts, while this man seemed polished and worldly.

Mentally pushing the man aside, Oliver turned his whole focus on his sister. Something had changed about her as well, something he couldn’t describe or define. Maybe it was her self-confidence seemed more contained, more internal than before. She moved differently too, he noted as she came over to him. The slap that she gave him was all Thea though and brought a smile to his face.

“That’s for lying to me, Ollie,” Thea said before wrapping him in a hug, “and that’s because you’re my brother and I’ll always love you.”

“I’d apologize, but I’d like to know what I’m apologizing for.”

“For not telling me about Malcolm supposedly being my father. For all the times you blew me or Mom off with some weak excuse. For not telling me the real purpose of this club. For not telling me what you really do at night.”

Thea could see the effect that her words were having on her brother. She could also see the wheels turning as he pieced everything together. His eyes going from Sara to Nyssa and back again, anger flaring in them.

“Why?” was all Oliver said to them.

“Because my father sent us here,” Nyssa told him, watching him carefully. “He offered us to Miss Queen for two years, to help train her. He also believes that we could help your team during that time to fight back the damage done by Malcolm Merlyn and his Undertaking. My father is also the one who told your sister about your nightly activities.”

“And how do you feel about this? Because you made it very plain last time that the League does not take prisoners. You know that my team does.”

“How I feel is immaterial. This is the command of Ra’s Al Ghul.”

“Ollie, you should know the consequences if we fail. Ra’s will bring the League to Starling and cleanse the city,” Sara told him. “My father, my sister and hundreds of thousands more will suffer. So, I will do whatever is necessary to insure that we do not fail. You need to be prepared to do the same.”

“And if I can’t break my promise to Tommy, what then?” Oliver asked. “Because not a day goes by where I can’t hear him calling me a Murderer, where I can’t see the anger, disappointment and disgust on his face. That moment was when I realized how much I would have to give up.”

Sara could understand what Oliver was saying, even if she didn’t agree with it. Her training in the League let her see that killing was necessary. She wouldn’t lie and say that she didn’t struggle with it, she did. It had even been the reason she’d left the League. But sometimes, killing was the only answer. It didn’t mean that Oliver and his team needed to kill every bad guy that they confronted, but to take that option completely off the table was the wrong move.

“Mister Queen, I am willing to try to avoid killing where possible. I can not promise more than that,” Nyssa told him.

Oliver wouldn’t say that he liked it, but he also knew that their help might be useful. Just their helping train him, John and Roy would be a positive, as he was certainly not arrogant enough to believe that he knew as much as someone who had been training since they could walk. So, he extended his hand to Nyssa.

“I’m willing to try,” Oliver told her, before turning to his sister. “Are you going to introduce your friend, Speedy?”

“Still the worst nickname ever, Ollie. This is Anthony Rossi. Anthony, my brother Oliver.”

“Nice to meet you, Anthony.”

“You as well, Mister Queen,” Anthony said with a smile, as Oliver extended a hand. He wasn’t surprised when the grip was harder than called for. Taking care to look unaffected, he didn’t squeeze back, just letting the man have his victory.

“I hope my sister didn’t inconvenience, what with having to drag her around Europe,” Oliver said.

“Not at all. Her presence made every moment a joy, even while we were held by the League. I’ve come to care a great deal about your sister as well.”

“So, how did you meet?’

“We were both at Starling’s train station when those soldiers attacked. One of them came for me and the next thing I knew, he’d killed him and was helping to get me to safety. As we were walking, I asked where he was going and when he said Paris, I asked if I could go along with him,” Thea said.

Oliver had a hundred questions buzzing through his brain, yet was reluctant to ask them. Because all he could think was how quickly their call had ended when he’d tried to push for information. The last thing he wanted now was for her to leave again, not now that he seemed to have gotten her back. He would need to earn her trust back before they could tackle those questions. Oliver noticed Thea stiffen slightly, her eyes widened. He opened his mouth to say something, but Anthony spoke first.

“Why don’t you get a cup of coffee and relax, Thea. I’m going to step outside and get some fresh air,” Anthony told her, laying a reassuring hand on her arm.

When Thea nodded, Anthony turned and walked to the entrance. Once outside, he pulled his katana and moved slowly but surely away from the building. He had almost reached the street when another man walked into view. He was taller than Anthony, with broad shoulders. His blonde hair was done in what looked like a mullet, while his green eyes bored into his opponent. Anthony stood stock still, waiting for the man to speak, to more, to decide.

“I’m here for the young one,” the man said. “Stand aside and I will spare you.”

“No,” was all Anthony said, for the moment. He would not stand aside and let this man take Thea, it was a simple as that and yet a thousand times more complicated. He had made a promise, basically from the first moment he’d met her, that he would protect her. He also hated Immortals like this, those who actively sought out newer, weaker Immortals to kill.

“Then you wish to die today. Very well. I am Karl von Neurath.”

“Antonius Germanicus, civis Romanus sum.”

Anthony took great joy in watching the man’s eyes widen. Then the expression hardened, as the man drew a saber and advanced. Anthony adjusted his stance slightly and waited. The katana hung limp in his left hand, low and loose at his side. When his opponent was about five paces from him, he struck, fast. The katana rose in a slash towards the groin, while his right hand claimed his Bowie knife and moved to stab the man in the heart. Trapped as he was, Karl had no chance to avoid both the blades, he could only seek to limit the damage.

The pivot that he made got him past the katana, but allowed the knife to penetrate his chest. The pain was intense, but he fought through it and shoved Anthony away from him. This worked in Anthony’s favor, as he was able to pull the knife out while twisting it, opening a much larger wound. Sheathing the knife, he now switched hands on the sword. The men traded blows, though the early wounding worked against the other man, even as his body was healing. Anthony was able to get another pair of cuts in, one to the left leg and the other to the man’s abdomen. It was this second cut that sealed the end, as the man’s defenses dropped as he grasped at the deep wound, leaving him open for the killing blow.

“There can be only one,” Anthony said, a sadness in his voice as he decapitated the man.

As the Quickening swept over him, he got a sense of the youth of the man, thought that was a relative things. Barely two centuries old, he could have had many more, but for the Game and the Gathering. It was in moments like this, as the new Quickening settled within him that he found he turned melancholy. He wondered if this wasn’t all some divine being’s idea of a joke. Were he and his kind condemned to fight this useless fight, for a Prize that might not even exist?

Pushing those thoughts away, Anthony gathered himself and looked over his clothes as best he could. He moved the body into the shadows, hopeful that it would not be discovered any time soon. Then, he hid the katana again and walked back to the club. He was just about to climb the stairs when the door opened, as Thea, Nyssa and Sara came out.

“There you are,” Sara said, smiling. “We thought you’d walked off without us.”

“No. Like I said to Thea, just went for a breath of fresh air.”

Thea just looked at him, not believing a word that he had said. Because she had felt the presence of the other Immortal and now it was gone. Gone too fast for that person to have walked away. But the look that Anthony shot her way was enough, barely, to keep her from asking more direct questions. It didn’t stop her from thinking them, however.

Nyssa, however, didn’t feel a need to ask. Her sharp eyes noticed that Anthony was a little less put together than he had been when they’d arrived. She took in the handle of his knife sticking out from where he’d concealed it, as well as the stain on the back of his shirt. Blood, if her eyes didn’t deceive her. It was no jump for her to conclude that he’d been in some kind of fight, but with whom and why. Nyssa then focused her eyes on Anthony’s face, her gaze hard and knowing.

“What actually happened, Mister Rossi?” Nyssa asked.

“There was another Immortal. I sensed him while we were in the club. I went outside to find him,” Anthony said. “I did. He was here for Thea. I asked him to leave, he refused and we fought. I won.”

“Won how?”

Anthony remained silent at that. Because, really? Did Nyssa seriously expect him to give her that secret, give it to the League of Assassins? That was definitely not happening, not now, not ever. The Hunters had taught him all he’d ever need to know about the dangers of mortals knowing how to kill his kind and the Hunters weren’t even especially skilled. That knowledge combined with the skill of the League would mean that they could probably slaughter Immortals at will, if they so desired.

“I killed him. Permanently.”

With those words, Anthony turned on his heel and walked to the SUVs. Getting in the back seat of the second one, he settled back against the seats and closed his eyes. The other door opened moments later and he knew it was Thea. Her hand found his and gave it a squeeze, as the vehicle backed up before turning around and driving away.


	9. Chapter 9

June 25, 2014

Starling City

 

Anthony sat on the roof of the building housing the safe house. The view was fairly average, like that of many large cities. But he wasn’t here for the view, he was here for the solitude. Thea had still been asleep when he’d awoken and dressed. The door to the room that Nyssa and Sara were sharing had been closed, so they might either be asleep or out.

The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, giving a little light to the sky. Anthony didn’t notice, as he had his eyes closed. He concentrated on his breathing, gentle and deep. The more he stilled, the more his senses reached out. Sound, smell, touch. The hiss of an arrow flying, followed by the impact into a wall. The shift in the breeze, as a large mass disturbed the air. The sound of feet on the gravel of the roof and a smell that he’d noticed yesterday when he’d meet Thea’s brother, something earthy.

“Good morning, Mister Queen,” Anthony said.

“Mister Rossi,” Oliver replied in a deeper, gruffer voice.

“If you’re looking for Thea, she’s still asleep.”

“No, I’m looking for you. You and some answers.”

“And if I say no?” Anthony asked as he stood, turning to face the other man.

Opening his eyes, he almost smiled at the man before him. The green leather outfit, the hood and mask were almost funny, conjuring up images of Robin Hood. The bow and arrows just completed the look. The fact that the man was now aiming an arrow at him was a matter of minor concern. He could either catch one fired at him, deflect it with his sword or simply dodge it.

“Then I would have to consider other options for getting the information that I need. Information about things like how your picture matches one from 1970 as well as one from 1952 and one from 1927. Yet, each of those men have different names and no documented relatives,” Oliver said.

“Coincidence? People who you just think look like me?”

“No. Because the person who looked was running facial recognition software and each of those photos is a ninety percent or better match for the photos we took yesterday with our security system. So, try again.”

“Paranoid much?” Anthony asked. “Or are you the only one around that is permitted secrets? Because you’ve kept plenty from your sister over the years, like being the vigilante, her father being Malcolm Merlyn and all the little lies you told her to hide the big lie.”

“When it comes to my sister, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to protect her, even from myself,” Oliver told him. “So, yes. I’m going to look into some strange man who appears out of nowhere and worms his way into her life. Because, I won’t see her get hurt.”

“Then let me assure you, Thea knows my secret. And it didn’t scare her away. So, perhaps you should have a little faith in your sister.”

“I trust my sister. It’s the rest of the world that I don’t.”

Anthony just looked at Oliver, not saying a word. A part of him wondered what had happened in Oliver’s five years away that had turned the man’s world view so cold. Obviously more than he had ever let on to anyone. Something told him that the island hadn’t been as deserted as the man had claimed. A slight smile threatened as he recalled Duncan sometimes accusing him of having a hard outlook on life. Anthony wondered what his friend would make of Oliver Queen.

For his part, Oliver just kept a hard gaze directed at Anthony. He wanted answers and was hoping that a little intimidation would work. The unflinching look that met his quickly quelled that thought, meaning he might need to step up his game. Move on to more direct tactics, such as using the enhanced interrogation techniques he’d learned with A.R.G.U.S. The only thing holding him back was the thought of Thea finding out and what that would do to their relationship, or what was left of it.

With a grunt, Oliver turned and walked to the edge of the roof.

“Leave the city and don’t come back,” Oliver told Anthony, as he readied another grapnel arrow.

“You don’t want that, Mister Queen. Because if I leave, Thea would likely leave with me and I think you know that,” Anthony answered him.

Oliver paused for a moment, debating whether to respond or not. Then, he fired the arrow and stepped off the rooftop. Anthony waited for a few moments before walking over towards the door that gave roof access. A smile came to his face as he noticed the shadows.

“Good morning, Nyssa.”

At that, the shadow shifted as a person stepped forward, head tilted towards the rooftop. The red accents to the black robes only showed now, as she moved. When she was still, the black blended perfectly with the shadows and the night. When she looked up, he caught the slight smile in her eyes.

“How did you know I was there, Mister Rossi?” Nyssa asked, curious.

“I heard the click of the door latch opening and then closing. I doubt Mister Queen noticed it, as he was more interested in trying to tell me to leave.”

“I heard. I also heard your response and enjoyed it very much. The great Oliver Queen meeting a man he can’t scare off,” Nyssa said with a laugh. “He is too accustomed to intimidating the business men of this city.”

Anthony smiled at that, as he walked to the door and went through it. All Mister Queen’s visit had done was annoy him, especially the part about the photographs. It was clear that the man would keep digging, for want of something better to do. The question was, what was he hoping to find? Because Anthony remembered the years and the lives that he had been living well. Nothing untoward had happened then, at least not to him or involving him. Now, he was curious about the photographs that they had found. As a rule, he kept none of himself, because it would be too difficult to explain if anyone found them.

But someone had found some and worse was the fact that it was someone that he was going to have to interact with on a fairly regular basis. Just another reason to curse progress and more specifically, the internet. It also was making another part of his existence more difficult, the building of a new identity when it was time for the current one to cease being. For the majority of his life, it had been as simple as leaving where he was and choosing a new name while traveling to wherever he would live next. When keeping records of births and deaths went from oral history to written, it became a little more difficult. The thing that helped was how long it took to reach any place, which meant getting information was often more trouble than it was worth.

The last two hundred years, though, was when things began to get tougher. This meant more planning had to go into each move, gathering more documents, laying a groundwork off which the new live could take form. Then, you had to remove some information, too. Like the death certificate of a boy who died, so that you could get a social security number, a passport, credit and work.

To stop thinking about it, he went down to the training area. Sitting down on a bench, he removed his shoes and socks as well as his shirt. Collecting his katana from the rack, he stepped to the far side of the training area. Centering himself, he begin a kata. He began slowly, but soon picked up the pace. He noticed Nyssa, Sara and Thea coming down to the stairs, but it was just something on the edge of his consciousness. The three women stayed on the other side of the training area, with Nyssa and Sara working with Thea on her unarmed combat.

A few miles away, someone else was also training. In fact, the salmon ladder had been getting an extensive workout since Oliver had returned. Diggle and Felicity had both remained silent, knowing that this was one of the ways Oliver pulled himself back for the edge. Today, it didn’t seem to be working, as the anger and frustration were still clearly evident on his face.

“So, I take it that went...” Diggle said.

“Not well!” Oliver grunted out from the top of the ladder. “He brushed off the questions and didn’t even seem to blink when I had an arrow aimed at his head. Have you come up with anything more, Felicity?”

“Not yet, which isn’t exactly surprising since we’re now digging into files from before 1920. Most of that has never been digitized, so that means it’s not on the internet and if it’s not on the internet, then there’s no way for me to hack it. And the fact that it’s not on the internet just shows how little resources governments are willing to spend on getting with the times. So, until private groups or companies like Ancestry go and find it….”

“Okay, then we will just focus on the ones that you have found. I want to know everything about those. Especially when and how they died.”

“Already have that, Oliver. The 1927 photograph is of a group of Marines in Nicaragua. Digging further, I found his name was Arthur Buck and he served in the Marine Corps from 1917 until 1943, when he was recorded as having been killed in action during the Battle of Guadalcanal. Then, we have the photograph from 1952, which was taken in Sydney, Australia. He is identified as being Ethan Rice, a shareholder in Cathay Pacific and other companies in the Far East. The occasion was was a gathering of leading businessmen with Rice there to represent Cathay. According to the limited accounts I was able to find, Rice was something of a recluse. Think Howard Hughes with slightly less money. The last reference to him was in 1969, when the plane he was flying disappeared over the Pacific,” Felicity told him.

“Did they find any wreckage?” Oliver asked. “How extensive was the search?”

“There was some surface debris found, but that was all. The accident was poorly timed, coming on July 18, 1969.”

“Or it was excellently timed,” Diggle put in. “What better way to disappear publicly, then when you know the eyes of the world will be focused on something else.”

Oliver looked between them for a second, thinking through all that they had said and implied. It made sense, especially as a way to disappear from an island like Hong Kong.

“And the photograph from 1970?”

“Conrad Voss, a Swiss banker. Virtually nothing is known about him and if not for this photograph, he would literally be just a name in an accident report from 1987 and a cursory obituary in the local newspaper. We’ve found nothing newer than that, Oliver,” Felicity told him. “I’m still trying, but I’m starting to run out of places to look.”

“If the pattern that I’m seeing holds, there’s one more ‘life’ between 1987 and now,” Oliver said. “And I know if there is any trace of it online, then you’ll find it.”

“The only question is, what are you going to do with it once she finds it?”

Oliver didn’t answer because he couldn’t answer. He had no idea what he would do with the information. Had there been a crime committed, other than identity theft? And was there anyone that would even listen to him about this, or would they be more likely to laugh him out of their office at the very idea? They’d think he was crazy, no doubt, considering he was even questioning it himself at the moment.

What he wasn’t questioning was his love for his sister. He would do anything to protect her and right now he was concerned about her and this man. Questions kept spiraling through his head, about who exactly this man was and what kind of threat he might be. He became so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Felicity leave so that she could be on time for her job at Tech Village, nor Diggle when he left so he could go with Lyla to her doctor’s appointment. He was surprised to find himself alone when he’d finally managed to master his thoughts. With nothing better to do at the moment, he fixed something to eat and then went for a quick nap.

Diggle returned while Oliver was sleeping. By the time late afternoon arrived, so had Roy. He and Oliver spent the couple of hours sparring with each other, as well as working on their skills with the bow. They were just about to finish up a little competition when the sound of the alley door opening, then closing, reached them. Felicity was instantly eliminated when they couldn’t hear the sound of heels on the metal stairs. The men watched as Sara and Nyssa moved silently into the lair, both dressed in their League uniforms.

Oliver hadn’t expected to see either of the women tonight, to be honest. He had figured they would need a day or two to get settled in. Time that he could use to get used to the idea that they would be helping them on a daily basis. A small part of him wondered how Felicity was going to react to them being here. Especially given the tension that was already in the air. None of the team knew Nyssa all that well and the whispers about the League did nothing to make them feel any easier, even after what she had done previously for them. As for Sara, Oliver trusted her because he cared for her and he knew her. Diggle trusted her as well, though not as much as Oliver did. Roy, on the other hand, was cautious because he could remember the moment when she had an arrow aimed at him and was a breath from firing it.

Both Nyssa and Sara were aware of the tension, had been aware of it even before coming to Starling. Yet, they both had a mission to accomplish and were not about to let this stop them. So, they simply stepped up to Oliver and waited for their orders.

“We’ll split up. Sara, you take Roy and Diggle. Nyssa and I will train together. Tomorrow, we’ll switch. The only days that we won’t train like that are when we have a mission. On the nights that we train, we’ll train for a couple of hours before going out on patrol, keeping to the same team ups,” Oliver said.

“And what do you wish us to teach you, Mister Queen?” Nyssa asked.

“Everything that we would need to defeat a member of the League. Because if we can get to that level of skill, we’ll be able to handle anything that might hit this city.”

Nyssa looked at him for a long moment, not speaking as she tried to gauge his thoughts. She also tried to decide how to answer that without unduly offending the man before her. Fortunately, her Beloved had no such reservations.

“Ollie, you’ll never be able to defeat a member of the League as long as you are fighting with one hand tied behind you back. If your opponent is prepared to kill, but you are not, then you’re critically disadvantaged. And trust me, if you ever were to go up against the League, they will be prepared to kill,” Sara told him.

“She’s got a point, Oliver,” Roy said. “I know I’m the new guy and all, but this is something we need to consider. Killing shouldn’t be our first move, but to not even consider it does leave us handicapped. And some people are beyond redemption.”

“Who decides that, Roy? You? Me? Because there are those who still see me as the man I was when I first came back from the island, back when I was dropping bodies. What if instead of trying to catch me, the police had gone with a shoot on sight order because they viewed me as beyond redemption. And all those bodies I dropped? In the end, they didn’t really mean a thing, because I still failed. Five Hundred and Thirteen people died because of my failure, because I was so focused on killing Malcolm Merlyn that I never considered that there might be a second device. If I hadn’t been focused on that, I could have been in those tunnels searching. Instead, I ended up trading my best friend’s life and the lives of Five Hundred and Twelve just so I could try to kill one man.”

The others were all looking at Oliver with varying expressions on their faces. Roy’s held shock, as he was totally unprepared of the amount of guilt his mentor was shouldering. He’d never even got more than a glimpse of it in the past year, little bits and pieces where the stone mask slipped and the man underneath was revealed. Diggle, on the other hand, was surprised it had taken this long for his friend to blow. But then, he’d been around for the aftermath of the Undertaking, when Oliver had simply disappeared and Felicity had had to feverishly hack every system she could in order for them to find a trace of him. The man that they had found on Lian Yu was struggling and there were moments where Diggle wondered if Oliver wouldn’t have been better off if they had left him on Lian Yu instead of getting him to come back to Starling. Then he thought about all the good that Oliver had done, he thought about Thea having to face everything alone and felt that they had made the right choice.

Sara just watched, a little sadness in her eyes. She’d seen him like this before, back on Lian Yu after Shado had been killed. When Oliver had wanted to tell Slade the truth and she had stopped him. She remembered how the guilt had weighed on him then, just as it was now. The only difference is that then, he’d needed to fight for his very survival, to escape the island. Now, he wasn’t fighting for his survival, but rather to make the city a better place. She knew his first year back, he’d still been in that island mindset, but something had changed and she didn’t think it was all about Tommy. She figured that Felicity Smoak also had something to do with it, but she wasn’t interested in going there. Oliver was her past, Nyssa was her present and future.

As for Nyssa, her face reflected her interest. The more she was around Mister Queen, the more she saw the men who came in search of the League. Men filled with pain and sorrow, looking for a means of releasing those feelings and becoming something more on the other side. Now that she was seeing it, she began to wonder about her father’s ultimate plans. Was he looking to bring Mister Queen into the League? Or was he simply using her as a source of information for when he ultimately moved against Starling City? Either way, she would do what she always did and obey the orders of Ra’s Al Ghul.

 

June 26, 2014

Starling City

 

Anthony was wide awake, sitting at the breakfast bar with a cup of coffee, when the door opened and the pair of assassins entered. Nyssa and Sara, on the other hand, were a little tired after their long night of training Team Arrow before going out on patrol with them. Now, they would catch a couple of hours of sleep before Thea woke up and it was time for them to train her. He stood from his seat as they came closer, retrieving a pair of mugs from a cupboard before filling them with coffee.

Spotting a bowl of fresh fruit, Sara snatched up a plum and a banana. Nyssa took a pear and a plum, lifting an eyebrow at Anthony as she did so. The safe house had contained basic foods when they had arrived and they had not gone out for anything else.

“Thea wanted to get out, so we went shopping,” Anthony told her, though the look on his face made her wonder what else they had bought besides the food.

“Did she force you to go clothes shopping with her?” Sara asked, a grin on her face.

“No, we went shopping for a car, so that we don’t have to rely on taxis and stuff. It was interesting. Thea wanted something flashy and convertible, while I wanted something that blended in more. In the end, we compromised.”

Nyssa could not see a compromise between such opposite ideas, but then she did not know much about the various makes and models of automobiles. Her focus was more on whether they would do what she needed them to do, though she had learned the basics of maintaining and repairing them as well. Sara had tried to teach her, pointing out ones that ‘nice’ and ones that were ‘ugly’, but Nyssa had been more focused on their missions than the scenery. Now, though, she was interested in this, thinking it would give her insight into both Thea and Mister Rossi.

“The art of compromise can be very important,” Nyssa said, before seeing the look in Anthony’s eyes.

Sara saw it and laughed. “What did you get?”

“I got a black Chevy Camaro SS and he got a Silver Chevy Tahoe,” Thea said from behind them, laughing as she remembered the look on the salesman’s face after Anthony had just handed over his American Express Black Card. There were few people wealthy enough in Starling to have the card, now that Malcolm Merlyn was gone and the Queen family had lost most of its wealth. Of those that did have them, fewer still were buying such pedestrian vehicles, preferring ones from Europe. So, it wasn’t a surprise that no one at the dealership knew exactly what to do when Anthony had simply extended the card when they began to talk about financing.

She would soon have plenty of money with which to pay him back. She and Anthony were meeting with Jean Loring this morning so that they could go over what would need to be done for her to make a claim to Malcolm’s estate. A part of her didn’t want to acknowledge that she was the man’s daughter, but she knew that she would need the money if she wanted to get Verdant back. But it was more than just that she considered Robert Queen her father, it was the resulting media feeding frenzy that would result as soon as the first whispers emerged. People’s emotions were still rubbed raw regarding the Undertaking and with both Malcolm and her mother being the key architects of the plan, coming out as their daughter would be putting a huge bullseye on her back for anyone seeking vengeance.

“What’s wrong?” Anthony asked softly.

“I’m not sure I’m ready for the world to know that Malcolm was my father.”

“We can talk with your lawyer and see what she says. We may not have to do anything right away, but that depends on where things stand with the estate.”

“Why do I feel like we’ve missed an important part of this conversation,” Sara said.

“Thea has an appointment with Missus Loring to discuss what she would need to do to make a claim for Mister Merlyn’s estate,” Anthony said. “She feels like she’s taken enough of my money, a feeling that I’m sure grew worse yesterday when I paid for her car.”

“I just don’t like feeling like I’m leeching off of you,” Thea said, sighing as they had already had this conversation yesterday.

“I’ll let you know when I feel like you’re taking advantage of me.”

“And I still say that you might not have a problem with it, but I can’t help feeling like I feel.”

Anthony got up from his seat and walked over to her, pulling her into a hug. As much as he wanted to make things easier for her, he loved that fiery independence that she had. So, he knew that this was something to back off from, rather than reminding her that he had plenty of money. After all, he’d had a long time to amass his fortune and compound interest really worked when you had a good sized amount. He would have to have spent ten times what he did yesterday to even put a dent in the interest he was earning.

“How do you feel about breakfast?” Anthony asked after she had settled against him.

“Yes, please,” Thea said. “Eggs and sausages?”

“Nyssa? Sara?”

Seeing the pair nod their heads, Anthony disengaged himself from Thea and made his way to the refrigerator. Taking out a package of sausage and a carton of eggs, he went to the counter next to the stove. Setting them down, he retrieved a large bowl and a pair of cast iron skillets. Setting the skillets on the stove, he started the burners underneath them. Going back to the refrigerator, he took out a stick of butter. Slicing off a piece, he dropped it into one of the skillets, then repeated the action with the other. While the butter melted, he quickly cracked open six of the eggs and dropped them into the bowl.

Working quickly, he scrambled the eggs in the bowl, then poured it into the skillet. Anthony then opened the sausage and took out the links, laying them out in the other skillet. He then worked the eggs while they cooked, adding some salt and peeper to the mix. Once the eggs were done, he pulled the skillet off the range top and dished out the eggs onto plates that Thea had set up at the breakfast bar. He then did another six eggs in the same manner, with the sausages finishing while those cooked.

“It’s official, you’re cooking every day,” Sara said.

“This is nothing. Wait until dinner and I’ll have him make his grilled chicken and rice pilaf,” Thea said. “Or maybe those beef tips with the mushroom sauce and rice.”

Nyssa just smiled and shook her head. In their time together, she and Sara had eating in elegant restaurants and hole-in-the-wall places. It was the rare occasion where they had enjoyed a family-style meal outside of Nanda Parbat. This was different, but surprisingly enjoyable. She didn’t even mind helping Sara when she insisted that they handle the cleanup. So, she found herself drying dishes as her beloved washed and Thea wiped down the breakfast bar and stove area.

After that was all done, Sara and Nyssa went to get a couple of hours of sleep. Thea and Anthony picked up their katana and went down to the training area on the first floor. Facing each other, they began training. Anthony would show her a movement, then she was attempt to replicate it while he stood by and corrected her. Her set of skills were growing, as was evidenced when they began sparing. Her movements were coming more fluidly now, less mechanical. Her mind and body were beginning to act as one whole instead two separate parts and she was improvising more rather than doing one move because it should follow another.

Anthony stopped holding back quite as much, pushing Thea to her limit and then keeping her there. The sound of metal on metal was music to his ears and this was The 1812 Overture, with Thea as the conductor. By the time they were finished, they were both sweating heavily but that didn’t stop him from leading her on a run around the floor, ten laps in total. When they were done, they performed a series of cool down exercises.

“Great work today, Thea,” Anthony told her.

“Again, I’ve got some great teachers,” Thea said, smiling at him

“No, this is as much you as it is me, Nyssa or Sara. We’re showing you the way, but we can’t make you learn. You’re the one who is doing the hard work. Now, let’s take a shower and get ready for your appointment with Missus Loring.”

A half hour later and they were ready to go. Anthony was wearing a powder blue dress shirt, a burgundy tie and gray slacks, while Thea was dressed in one of the outfits she’d bought in Paris, the burgundy top and black slacks. He thought she looked gorgeous, not just the outfit or her figure, but the way she held herself. At that moment, he realized something. He was in love with her. It had been a long time since he’d allowed that particular emotion to take hold of him. Oh, he loved Duncan like a brother, he even cared for Amanda. But love, no, because thinking about love, much less being in love was a dangerous path, one that he’d avoided for a long time. One that came tied with too much pain.

“Are you alright?” Thea asked, standing by the doorway, looking at him in concern.

“Yes,” Anthony replied, giving himself a mental shake. “Just a memory hit me.”

“A bad one, too, if the look on your face is anything to judge by.”

Anthony didn’t say anything to that, not wanting to get caught up in that particular memory and all of the emotions that came with it. So, he choose to put a smile on his face and offer his arm to Thea. She, in turn, choose not to push, thinking it was less a secret and just something that he didn’t want to share, because that would mean really remembering what had happened. She now understood so much better how her brother had been the first year he’d been home after the island. Somethings were just so painful that it was easier to just lock them away than be forced to remember them.

“You don’t have to tell me. Just know that if you want to talk about whatever it is, I’m here for you,” Thea told him.

“Thank you. It’s just something I don’t like reliving. I’ve never even told Duncan the whole story, just the beginning and the ending. It’s the rest that haunts me.”

Thea just squeezed his hand and gave him her best smile. Those two things, small though they might have seemed, were everything in that moment. They filled him with a sense of joy that the sadness of just moments before seemed to fade into nothingness. Anthony promised himself that he would tell her about Maria, even though it would likely take a good amount of alcohol for him to get through the story. But for now, he would lock those memories away and stay in the present.

It was just after noon when Anthony and Thea returned, with the young woman carrying a folder full of documents. Jean had been very helpful and had already made contact with Malcolm’s lawyers. Malcolm’s lawyers had told Jean that there had been a sealed envelope included as part of Malcolm’s will, to be opened only if Miss Queen had contacted them. The lawyers had also been willing to do whatever they could to keep things quiet, not only to protect her from a curious press but also from anyone out to gain control of Merlyn Global. Malcolm’s estate was still the majority shareholder in the company and though their stock had taken a heavy hit following the Undertaking and the revelation of Malcolm’s role in it, that estate was still a large sum of money.

Thea knew one thing for certain and that was that she was not the right person to take over the company. She didn’t have the business skills for something like that. Yes, she had been doing great with the club, but that was both a fairly small business and in a field that she had some knowledge of. She didn’t even have the first idea of what Merlyn Global did, just like she’d known next to nothing regarding Queen Consolidated. She had just never really been interested.

Jean had suggested talking to Walter. He’d run Queen Consolidated, after all, so he should have at least some knowledge and maybe some ideas for what she should do. She just knew that she would need to have someone that she trusted to run the company. Someone who could restore the public’s confidence and trust. The only thing that kept an outside company from sweeping in like Stellmore had done with Queen Consolidated, according to the lawyers, had been the fact that the estate owned a majority and until the estate had finished probate, there was no way to get that block of stock.

As they entered the front door, they were greeted by Nyssa and Sara in the kitchen. The two women were fixing lunch or rather Nyssa was fixing lunch and Sara was stealing little bits of food. Thea laughed as she watched Nyssa smack Sara’s hand and Sara pouted at her girlfriend.

“Something smells good,” Thea said as she walked to where Sara and Nyssa stood, taking a look in the pots on the stove.

“Nyssa’s making Beef Stroganoff and mixed vegetables,” Sara said as she went to grab another piece of carrot from the pot.

“That’s it, out. Now, Beloved! You and Miss Queen can set the table,” Nyssa said, the smile on her face belying the stern tone of her voice. “And where are you going, Mister Rossi?”

“To get something to drink,” Anthony told her as he crossed through the living room and down the hall to the bedrooms. Going into his, he crossed to the dresser and removed a bottle from the top of it. Walking back out to the dining area, he settled next to Thea and opened the bottle of Macallan 25 year old scotch. Taking the glass that was sitting there, he poured until it was about half full, then took a drink.

By the time lunch was over, he had finished the first glass and poured a second. Thea, Nyssa and Sara were all looking at him curiously, as none of them had seen him drink like that. Of course, Nanda Parbat didn’t have any alcohol, unless one brought it with them. Still, this struck them all as out of character for Anthony and left them wondering what had brought this on. Anthony pushed back from the table and walked across to the open sitting area, the bottle in one hand and the glass in the other. Ever since that morning when the memory had hit him, it had been clawing at the back of his mind, demanding his attention. The harder he’d tried to suppress them, the more they pushed to the front of his consciousness.

Thea came and took the seat next to him, taking his hand within hers.

“What’s wrong, Anthony?” she asked him softly.

“An old memory,” Anthony told her, as he took another drink of the whiskey.

“The same one from this morning.”

“Yes,” was all that came out as images flashed before his eyes. “I’m ready to tell you about it if you’re sure you’re ready to hear it.”

The couple just looked at each other for a long moment, neither of them so much as blinking. Thea wanted him to see her resolve to be there for him as he had been there for her. Anthony was looking for a sign of indecision, not wanting to burden her with this, but knowing that it contained a number of valuable lessons for the young immortal.

“In my lifetime, I’ve had many lovers. But in all the years, I’ve only taken three as my wife. The last was in 1430 and her name was Maria,” Anthony said, noting that Nyssa and Sara had both come over and were sitting on the couch across from them.

“I was a Knight when I came to the village where Maria and her family lived. Maria had come of age the previous spring and her father had been trying to find a suitable match for her. Sadly, most of the young men in the village were either already married or promised to another. So, he was delighted when someone new should appear, especially a man of some wealth. Maria was not so enamored with the idea at first. Neither was I, to be honest. Then, her father invited me home for supper and I met Maria. She was quiet and shy, but eventually we spoke and soon found that we couldn’t stop.”

“Before the summer was over, we were engaged. By October, we were married and had moved into the cottage I had built. It was blissful. Maria kept the house and tended the chickens, while I worked the field and helped her father and brothers. I should have known better, but I allowed myself to be lulled by the comfort, the joy and love that I had found. Still, we had twenty wonderful years before the reckoning came,” Anthony said, taking a large gulp from the glass and then refilling it.

“I had heard the whispers, of course. First, when we didn’t have any children. Many in the village wondered, then questioned, what was wrong. They went so far as to offer advice and remedies to Maria, not knowing that the ‘problem’ was that I could not have children. Then, they began to notice my youth. When that happened, I knew it was time to leave, to move on. But Maria didn’t want to leave her family and I didn’t want to leave her, so I ignored the voices in my head, the logic that screamed at me that this was wrong. We staying in the village until the very end.”

“The morning it happened was like a thousand other mornings. For years I thought back, trying to think of anything that might have warned me. Maria left to go into the village so she could sell some eggs and get some pork. A crowd was waiting for her instead and took her to the church, where they held a witch trial. I had gone to the fields to work, but I was expecting her to come back and help with the planting. It was midday when I first felt that something was wrong, that Maria should have been home. I left the plow in the middle of the field and ran to the house. When I arrived, my father-in-law was coming down the path. He told me what had happened, how they’d ‘tried’ Maria as a witch and found her guilty. I took my sword and saddled my horse before riding into the village,” Anthony said, tears welling in his eyes, his hand shaking as he reached for his glass. The three women remained silent, not wanted to make a noise that might stop him, curious to hear what had happened.

“I reached the edge of the village just in time to hear Maria scream. There were a handful of men on the road into the center of the village, there to stop myself or my wife’s family from rescuing her. The scream I’d heard was when they had tied her to the post. As I was trying to fight my way in, the priest lit the bonfire at Maria’s feet. No matter how long I live, I’ll never get the sound she made out of my memory. By the time I reached her, she was dead. All I could do was cut her free and carry her out of there, carry her back home. After I buried her, I packed what I would take with me. I loaded my possessions on my spare horse before burning our house down. That was the last time I would ignore my instincts, the last time I would stay too long. It took her death to beat that into my brain.”

“Ten years later and I had made my way to Nanda Parbat. I was lost, not physically, but rather emotionally. I had heard that there was a man who could help me forget the pain that I was feeling. Your father’s predecessor was that man, Nyssa,” Anthony told her, as he took a handkerchief from his pocket and dried his eyes. “By the time he was done with me, I had channeled my grief and loss into fighting for the League, replacing evil with death.”

Nyssa and Sara had both seen death up close, but never like that. They’d visited it upon other people, up close and person in many cases. But it had always been others who’d experienced the feeling of loss, not them. Surprisingly, it was Thea who was best able to understand the feelings that Anthony had expressed. She’d been forced to witness her mother’s murder, as close to her as she now was to Sara yet completely helpless to do anything to prevent it. She also now had a better understanding of why he had opposed her coming back to Starling City as he had, why he’d lived such a seemingly cold existence. It was to prevent himself from ever having to experience that pain again, Thea thought.

As for Anthony, he felt a sense of peace. Taking a quick moment, he closed his eyes and said a prayer to whatever God might be listening, a prayer that Maria was a peace. In his lifetime, he’d explored the tenants of everything from Buddhism and Shintoism to Islam and Christianity. After all, he’d been born a pagan and after all these years, he couldn’t say that any one God was more valid than another.

“One of the down sides of immortality, getting to experience loss so many times, so many ways,” Anthony said.

“Or you could focus on the positives. The fact that you have more time to learn from your mistakes, to grow as a person. To experience love many times and to be loved. You focus too much on the ending and not enough of the joys you found in the journey you took together,” Thea said, before grimacing. “And I just sounded like Doctor Phil there.”

Nyssa had a puzzled look on her face at that last part, while Sara just grinned at her younger friend.

“Doesn’t make what you said any less true, Speedy,” Sara said. “Though I am curious where you learned that.”

“From one of the doctors Mom made me see after Dad and Ollie….”

“You don’t need to be afraid to say it, Thea. After your Dad and Ollie disappeared. Trust me, I have a love/hate relationship with that trip, as I’m sure Ollie does as well. Though his might be more hate/hate. But that’s just because I got a better ending than he did.”

The smile that Sara gave Nyssa brought a soft smile from the Heir to the Demon. Her happiest moments had been with Sara. They had had their ups and downs, the lowest being when Sara fled from her. Even if it was more the League that she was running from, it still hurt Nyssa deeply.

“You two are so cute together,” Thea said, ducking the pillow Sara tossed at her, only to take the one thrown by Nyssa right in the face.

The laughter that followed was just what was needed to fully dissipate the heavy mood in the room.

“I shall have to repay you for that remark, Miss Queen,” Nyssa said, her grin turning a little wicked. “Besides, we still have training to complete, so you should go get changed.”

Thea ran from the room with a worried look on her face. She didn’t know Nyssa well enough to know if she was being serious or not. She missed the look that Anthony shot at Nyssa, but could still hear the response that came from it.

“Do not look so worried. After all, she is Immortal and heals quickly because of it.”

Thea could only let out a groan, knowing she would so be getting tossed around like a rag doll.


	10. Chapter 10

June 29, 2014

Nanda Parbat

 

Ra’s sat in his private office, looking over various reports from around the world. He had placed the one from Starling City to one side, knowing that it was just a status report. He would look at it once the more important ones had been read and acted upon. The League’s battle against evil and corruption was eternal and of a global scale. This led to a lot of reports, a lot of information that Ra’s had to juggle at any one time.

Ra’s also knew that he was in here because he also needed to think. Soon, he would have to decide the fate of Al Sa-her. He and his horsemen had been questioning him since he’d been brought to Nanda Parbat, about what he had had planned, who he had within the League and about the failed Undertaking and his allies in that endeavor. Ra’s thought that the plan had been good, his only true objection had been that the League had not given permission. Even though Al Sa-her had left the League, he had still been pledged to follow the will of Ra’s.

Ra’s eye had been on Starling City for several years, watching the slow slide that the city was taking. He’d made plans to intervene, but had held back because the League’s resources were needed elsewhere, in places that were even worse of Starling City was. When he’d next looked, it was because the reports now mentioned a man in a green hood taking up the fight against the evil in his city. It hadn’t taking long for his people to learn that the Hood and Oliver Queen were one and the same.

Ra’s knew of Mister Queen’s connection with Ta-er Al-Sahfer and for a time he had wondered what might have been if Mister Queen had also been rescued by Nyssa that day on Lian Yu. Might he have become one of Ra’s horsemen, perhaps something more. The fire was certainly there, the reports had been clear. And then, after the Undertaking, the Hood had disappeared for several months. When he had returned, he’d been different. The fire that had drawn Ra’s attention had been banked, the edge dulled.

The rise of Slade Wilson and his Army had occurred because the Hood was no longer doing all that was necessary to stop such men. And with that thought, Ra’s had come to a conclusion. That the League would soon be needed in Starling City. Now, however, he had been granted a gift, a means to insert a guide into Mister Queen’s group. Someone who could hopefully show him the path to saving his city.

Making a decision about Al Sa-her, Ra’s summoned Sarab.

“My lord?”

“Do you believe that we know everything from Al Sa-her?” Ra’s asked.

“I am certain of it, my lord. We have asked the questions multiple times in different ways, trying to trick him into revealing more or to catch him in a lie. We have not. We have even tried drugs and keeping him awake for extended periods, then accusing him of lying whenever he got confused. His answers always stayed consistent,” Sarab told him.

“Very well. Then, have the League assemble in the Great Hall tonight, so that they may witness the punishment of Al Sa-her.”

“As you command, my lord. Have you decided on the punishment, my lord?”

“There is only one punishment, Sarab. You are asking if I have chosen the method. I have. As Al Sa-her has proven to be without honor, we shall merely behead the man and burn the body. Have the head sent to Nyssa to give to Mister Queen, as proof that those who died during the Undertaking have been avenged.”

“Yes, my lord,” was all Sarab replied before leaving to carry out the orders he had been given.

 

Starling City

 

Anthony stood at the back of the room, watching as Nyssa taught Thea how to use a bow. Off to the side, a rack held an assortment of bows, everything from modern compound to recurve. Both women were using compound bows and were trading shots, with Nyssa going first to serve as the example, then Thea would try to copy her. When Thea was the one to shoot, Nyssa would make corrections as needed. Still, the young woman was proving to be a quick study, as evidenced by the near bullseye she shot.

“Do that ten more times, Miss Queen,” Nyssa said, a smile clear in her voice, even if one barely ghosted across her features. She looked at Sara in the corner, attacking a Wing Chun wooden dummy with her two metal batons. When she had tried to teach Sara the bow, it had been a struggle. Sara wanted to use the larger recurve bow, as that was what Shado had had on the island and what she was somewhat used to. Nyssa had kept pushing her to use the compound bows that the League used, as they made the most sense for missions. It had taken her father and al-Owal to get her to see the error that she had been making. Using a bow that she was comfortable with made it easier to train her, with Sara becoming quite proficient even if she rarely used a bow.

Focusing her attention back on her current student, she found Thea had completed the next ten arrows and had done well. They all were grouped together, except for one that looked like it sailed a touch. Nyssa smiled as she looked away from the target and took in Thea, who had an expectant look on her face.

“You did well, Miss Queen. We will continue to practice until you can do better.”

“Better?” Thea asked, thinking she’d tried her hardest just to do that well. And now she was being told that she needed to do better?

“Indeed, Miss Queen,” Nyssa said as she picked up her bow and rapidly fired five arrow at a second target. All five hit the bullseye in a tight grouping. “When we are done, you will be capable of shooting the bow just as proficiently. I have no doubt of that.”

Anthony smiled at those words, as well as Thea’s reaction to them. He watched as Thea beamed with pride, then she turned back to her target and shot another ten arrows. Nyssa stood beside her, whispering to her occasionally. Whatever she said clearly worked, as this grouping was almost dead center and tighter than the previous one. The yelp of excitement that Thea gave was enough to draw Sara over to them.

“Nice going, Speedy,” Sara said as she saw the target.

“Thank Nyssa for that. She’s an incredible teacher,” Thea said.

“Yes, she is.”

The look that Sara flashed to Nyssa, as well as the smirk that crossed her lips, made it clear that Nyssa hadn’t just taught Sara archery. If not, then the lip-lock that they shared definitely did. For a moment, the two women were lost in each other, their eyes locking as they lips separated. Thea stayed quiet, giving them time. The younger woman moved over to where Anthony was standing, a smile on her face.

“How long were you watching?” Thea asked.

“Long enough. You’re doing well with the bow,” Anthony told her.

“Almost as well as I am with the katana?”

Anthony smiled at that, thinking about their training session last night. Thea was soaking everything up like a sponge and had even surprised him with some of the combinations she came up with. Their sparring was becoming a longer, more drawn out affair. Thea had even won one of their bouts last night. Afterwards, the pair had gone out for dinner and Anthony had imparted the last and most crucial lesson about being an Immortal, the way to kill another Immortal. Thea had been a little upset about the thought of taking a head, but he had slowly talked her through it.

A part of talking her through it was getting her to see the difference between a head hunter and those he considered preservationists. He told her that many Immortals that he knew, people like Duncan and his kinsman Connor, wanted to simply live their lives. They would only kill if attacked or justifiably provoked. It was the head hunters that she would need to be aware of, those Immortals who wanted to be the One, that mythical last Immortal who would claim the Prize. They actively sought out other Immortals, pushed for the fight, wanting the other’s Quickening. Sadly, there were too many Immortals who fell into that category.

Thea was almost ready to be on her own, if she was any of his other students. But, she wasn’t just another student, he admitted to himself. He was in love with her. And while he knew that he couldn’t fight her battles, he would do what he could to keep her safe. The student/teacher dynamic could be strange for Immortals. He’d had students who he found soon after their first deaths and who had left as soon as they’d learned the basics. He’d had some who’d stayed longer, learning as much as they could before leaving years later. And then there were the students like Duncan, who had come to him already trained but staying with him to learn more, about life as much as about fighting. Sadly, there had been a few who’d come for more sinister reasons, playing the role of the younger Immortal to get close and then tried to kill him.

The sound of a phone ringing broke Anthony out of his thoughts. The four of them looked at each other, then went for their phones. Nyssa was certain it wasn’t her, as was Sara. It ended up being Thea’s, who slipped away from the group to answer it.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Speedy,” came Oliver’s voice.

“Ollie,” Thea said somewhat flatly, as she still hadn’t completely forgiven the things that had originally driven her from Starling City.

“I wanted to know if you wanted to get together for dinner tonight. Just you and me.”

“I can’t today, but how about lunch tomorrow?”

“Big Belly Burger at 11:00 AM?” Oliver asks.

“I’ll be there,” Thea tells him.

“Bye, Speedy.”

“Still the worst nickname ever.”

Thea is rewarded with a laugh before the call ends. Walking back over to the group, she puts her phone down. Grabbing her bow, she goes to turn only to be stopped by Nyssa.

“Enough practice with the bow for now. We still need to work on your hand-to-hand skills,” Nyssa tells her.

“Oh, God,” Thea groaned, knowing that this was really more Thea getting her ass kicked by Nyssa and Sara than anything else.

Nyssa and Sara just smiled as they led the young woman to the center of the training area. Once there, Nyssa stepped back so that Sara and Thea were the ones going at each other. Without warning, Sara attacked. Thea just managed to block the strike, then the one that followed close behind. The blonde was quick, easily putting the other woman on the defensive and not letting up. The brunette was able to keep from getting struck, but wasn’t able to find an opening to attack. Then it came to her, the fact that she was looking too hard, thinking too much.

Taking a calming breath, Thea let herself go. Nyssa and Sara could both see the change take place. Now, instead of seeking to block every strike, Thea worked to turn every attack to her advantage. So, she let the occasional blow land, using it to get inside Sara’s guard and go over to the attack. After one particularly nice exchange that ended with Sara on her back and Thea’s hand at her neck, stopped inches from a fatal blow, Nyssa called for a stop.

“Excellent, Miss Queen,” Nyssa said.

“I agree, Thea. That was very nice,” Sara told her as she sat up, then stood.

The sound of a timer going off sends Anthony quickly out of the room and up the stairs. The others follow along at a more leisurely pace. When they enter the living area of the building, the smell that greets them is truly mouth watering. While the ladies had been training Thea, he had been working on dinner. So, there was a slow cooker full of a pot roast, a large bowl of salad in the refrigerator and a cherry cheesecake for dessert.

“We’re going to have to work out double just to burn off all the calories in your dinners,” Thea said with a grin.

“Then skip the cheesecake,” Sara told her, laughing at the pout that crossed her friend’s face.

“That would be just wrong.”

“I agree, Thea. Besides, if you did not eat it, that would only leave more for Sara to eat,” Nyssa said.

“I can’t help it. Anthony’s food is amazing.”

“I did not say that it was not. Just that you seem to have no willpower when it comes to stopping eating whatever he serves. And do not use your dislike of the food at home as your excuse. We will be here for two whole years and you will have plenty of opportunity to indulge your appetite for things not found in Nanda Parbat.”

“Like Big Belly Burger,” Sara said with a smirk, knowing how Nyssa feels about junk food.

“Occasionally, if you must. Though why you would wish to eat elsewhere when Mister Rossi makes these wonderful meals for us is beyond me,” Nyssa told her.

“Because, while these are great, I feel bad making him do all the cooking.”

“Sara, don’t worry about it. I actually enjoy cooking and having people who appreciate it makes me happy,” Anthony told her as he carried the pot roast over to the table on a serving platter, then went back for a boat of the au jus and the bowl of salad. One last trip got the dressings and a bottle of wine, a Malbec from Argentina. Opening the wine, he poured them each a glass.

The appreciative sounds coming from around the table bring a smile to Anthony’s face. He’d opted for something simple, yet filling, as he wanted to vary the menu and allow time for training. Yesterday, he’d made Chicken Cordon Blue, wild rice and mixed vegetables, which had taken a little longer than today’s meal. For tomorrow, he was planning stir-fry.

 

June 30, 2014

Starling City

 

Oliver and Thea were sitting across from one another, a tray of food between them. Oliver had been the first to arrive and as soon as he’d seen Thea, he had gone up and ordered. When he returned with the food, Thea had been sitting in the booth typing away on her cell phone. She only put the phone down after she finished whatever she was writing.

“So?” Thea asked.

“I’m sorry, Speedy,” Oliver said. “I should have told you about Malcolm being your father as soon as I knew.”

Thea didn’t say anything to that, just nodded. She couldn’t tell him that she wasn’t really Malcolm’s daughter, not without telling him the rest. One thing had been at the back of her mind, the thought of what had happened to the actual baby Queen. There had to have been one, after all. There were certainly enough photos showing Moira, Robert and Ollie, photos where Moira was visibly pregnant. So, how had she come to take its place and where was that child now. She was brought out of her thoughts when she noticed Ollie was staring at her.

“What?”

“I asked what you’ve been doing since you’ve been back?”

“I went and saw Jean Loring the other day,” Thea told him.

“What about?” Oliver asked her.

“About what I would need to do to make a claim against the Merlyn estate. I mean, I am his daughter and with Tommy gone, I would be heir to the estate. Jean and the lawyers for the estate are working everything out, though I may need to take a DNA test.”

“That’s good.”

“I’m also thinking about opening Verdant again, once I know about the money. Or, once I can get some backers lined up to invest in it,” Thea said. “That way, you’ll still have the cover for your other activities.”

Oliver forced a smile, still less than happy that Thea knew that he was the Arrow. In fact, if he had had his way, Thea would never have learned about that. He needed to keep it a secret to protect her and, if he was being honest, to protect himself. The pain he’d felt when Tommy had called him a murderer was nothing compared to how he would feel if his sister thought of him like that.

Thea didn’t need to be a genius to make a good guess as to what Oliver was thinking about. It had been plain that day at Verdant that he wasn’t happy she knew he was the Arrow. It was the why part that she was struggling to figure out. It wasn’t like she would see him differently, except that she did. She was proud of him, proud of him for all the people that he was helping.

“I know you’re not happy about it, but I’m glad I know. And I’m sorry for all those times that I got mad at you, when you’d blow me off with some stupid excuse that I knew was a lie. You were out there helping people and I want you to know that I’m proud of you, Ollie.”

“You shouldn’t be, Thea. Because I’ve had to kill people. I mean, when Tommy found out, he called me a Murderer,” Oliver told her softly.

“How many more people would have suffered if you hadn’t?” Thea asked, not expecting an answer. “Just think about that before you start getting all broody on me.”

Oliver sighed at that. He also saw that more customers were coming in, including the young mother with two kids who took the booth behind Thea. This effectively ended their conversation about more serious things. He could see that Thea knew it too. So, he moved it to something that wasn’t as likely to land them, or him really, in jail.

“Have you talked to Roy?”

“No.”

“Thea, he misses you,” Oliver said.

“Ollie, leave it alone,” Thea said.

“Thea, I know you were together and now, what? You won’t even talk to him?”

“Ollie, he lied to me, for who knows how long. And I won’t be with someone who lies to me. Now, leave it be.”

“Speedy, I just want you to be happy. And I know Roy made you happy,” Oliver said.

“Emphasis on the past tense. And like I’m going to take relationship advise from you, Ollie. I mean, other than Laurel, what’s your longest relationship? A weekend?”

Oliver just looked away at that, knowing that Thea was sorta right. Even before the island, the only real relationship he’d had was with Laurel. Everything else had been picking up some random girl at a party, or a club and then ending up with them in bed together. Since the island, he’d given the appearance of doing much the same, though the reality was vastly different. Now there was the mission, saving Starling City, and as much as he might want to be with someone, there was something that kept holding him back. Maybe his sister would be better off not listening to him about relationships after all.

Thea watched her brother silently, because just like that, there was broody Oliver back. That was the thing that she hated almost as much as the lies. She missed the Ollie who had been happy, fun-loving. And while she had once overheard her mother and Walter talking after Oliver first got back about what Dr. Lamb had told Moira before the first time she’d seen Oliver, that the Oliver they had gotten back might not be the Oliver that they had lost. She still held out hope that some part of that Ollie was out there, trying to come home.

The remainder of their lunch passed in silence, neither knowing just how to restart the conversation. The pair shared an awkward hug outside of the restaurant, then Thea got in her Camaro and drove off. Oliver watched her for a moment before turning in the opposite direction and walking down the sidewalk.

When Oliver got back to Verdant, he went straight down to the lair. A quick change into a pair of sweatpants and he was working out on the Salmon ladder. This was the image that greeted John and Felicity when they arrived an hour later. Felicity almost sighed at the image before quickly turning her attention to the computer, sitting her travel mug of coffee down. On one set of monitors was the standard searches for any criminal activity currently taking place in Starling City. The other set was what she was actually focusing on, as these were running her deep searches for any information on Mister Rossi or the other names that they had found tied to those pictures.

Not seeing anything new, Felicity sat for a couple of minutes just thinking. Then, she reached for the keyboard and began creating a pair of new searches. Everything running, she then turned to the other set of monitors. A couple of alerts were up, one involving a group of bank robbers whose spree seemed to be bringing them closer to Starling City. The other was about a convoy of military grade weapons coming through Starling. Pulling up a map and having the computer quickly plot the robberies along with a timeline, she figured it would be about three days before they hit Starling if they kept coming. Meaning that both Oliver and Roy could watch over the convoy tonight.

Felicity was just turning to call out to Oliver when the other system beeped, letting her know that something had been found, maybe. She’d gotten alerts before, which when she looked into them turned out to be errors. This time, though, was something different. One of her searches had managed to track the photo from 1927 back to where it had originated from. The source also had a password protected login system, which only took the hacker a minute to get past. While she waited, she took a sip of her coffee and promptly choked on it as the file opened up.

“Holy Frack!” Felicity said loudly, causing Oliver to drop from the Salmon ladder and Diggle to rush over from where he was practicing his kicks on the Wing Chun dummy.

“What’s wrong, Felicity?” Oliver tried to ask, only to see the truly shocked look on the blonde’s face.

Diggle choose to start reading what was on the screen, before stumbling back, eye wide. Wondering what could have been so shocking, Oliver began reading it himself. Stopping for a moment, he forced himself to breath. Then, he reread from the beginning.

“Felicity,” Oliver said, looking to see if he had her attention. She still looked a little stunned, but not as bad as before. “Download this entire file and see if you can find anything else here that might be useful.”

“We won’t know what’s useful until we’ve read the whole file, Oliver. Not to mention, the longer I’m connected to them, the more likely it is for them to trace this back to us, I mean me. And you do get that this is illegal, right? Like ‘Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect Two Hundred Dollars, Go Directly To Jail’ illegal and girls like me do not do well in jail, regardless of what certain television shows and movies might want you to think. Not to mention, orange isn’t my color, like at all.”

“Felicity, can you pull up the outside security videos from the twenty-fourth?” Diggle asked, wanting to stop the babbling before it really took off.

“Just a minute,” Felicity told him, turning to the other system and bringing up the files. Finding the right one took a matter of seconds. “It’s up. What do you want to look for?”

“When Thea, Sara and the others arrived and then we’ll go from there.”

Fast forwarding from the start of the file, she went until the SUVs arrived. At that point, she slowed it down to normal speed. The pair of drivers stayed with the vehicles while the three woman and one man entered the club. Speeding through at four times the normal speed, Felicity went until Mister Rossi left the club, pulled a katana and walked away. Noting the direction that he had gone and the time, she opened another file and fast forwarded to just before he came into view. They all watched as another man came into the picture, causing Mister Rossi to stop. After an exchange of words, the other man drew a sword and the fight was on. The fight was quick and brutal, but nothing could have prepared Felicity, Diggle or even Oliver for the ending.

When the beheading happened, the image was graphically clear. Too clear for Felicity, who promptly grabbed her trashcan just before she lost her lunch. The sound of Felicity vomiting, coupled with the images on the screen almost has a sympathetic reactionary vomit come from Diggle, who just managed to fight it back. Oliver, not surprisingly, was the least affected, which meant that he was also the most focused on what happened next. The closest thing that his mind could come up with was a miniature lightning storm with the dead man as the epicenter. The fact that Anthony simply absorbed it with barely a flinch was something he just couldn’t comprehend.

Oliver had seen many things in his time on the island, things that defied explanation. This was something different. Every rational part of his being told him that nobody survived getting hit multiple times by lightning. Yet, that was certainly what the video appeared to be showing him. Looking over at Diggle, he found the man had composed himself and was reading more of the file that Felicity had discovered. As for Felicity, she looked shaken, robotic as she numbly broke off her hack and started closing out that part of the station. She left the file up, but she shut everything else off.

“I think I’m just going to go home. Maybe try to process that, though I don’t know how anyone can process seeing one person cut another person’s head off. And when did we end up back in the middle ages, where people ran around fighting with swords. Although, can we really call that a fight, when it was more of a one-sided ass kicking. Seriously, I don’t think there’s enough mint chocolate chip ice cream and red wine in Starling to help me process this,” Felicity said.

“Alright, Diggle can drive you home,” Oliver said.

“No, you need him here and….”

“Felicity, you’re in no condition to be driving yourself anywhere right now. So, Diggle will take you home and bring you back here tomorrow to get your car.”

“Come on, Felicity,” Diggle said. “Let’s get you home.”

Those words, said in Diggle’s soothing tone, were enough to get Felicity moving. Once the pair had left, Oliver sat down at the computer and began reading the file. After the first few pages, he realized that it was in backwards chronological order, with the most recent events or sightings at the beginning of the file. There was also an appendix at the end, in what could be considered a separate file. Going to the back of the file, Oliver started reading at the beginning. And then immediately stopped, shaking his head in disbelief.

“That can’t be right,” Oliver muttered to himself.

Oliver read and reread whole sections of the file, trying to absorb what was on the screen in front of him. A part of him wanted to believe that this was make believe, a fictional work spun by some science fiction writer. Yet, the photos that he had found at the front of the file couldn’t be denied. Most were taken covertly and were not portraits, but side angles or three-quarters. All clearly of the same person, while all being in different places and different eras. One of the photos even had Thea in it, a group shot taken at an outdoor cafe. The happiness Oliver saw on his sister’s face warmed his heart while also saddening him at the loss of that look directed at him by her.

Oliver was still sitting there reading the file when Diggle came back. Stopping Oliver for a moment, he sent the file to the other workstation. This way, he could read more of it than the brief glance he’d gotten earlier. He found that the style of writing was somewhere between a journal and an academic work, like one of the ones for a history or political science class. He could also tell that this had been written by many different authors, as the style would suddenly change.

After a couple of hours, Diggle finally had enough for the moment. Closing the file, he got up and went to retrieve a pair of water bottles. Handing one to Oliver, he wasn’t surprised to see the younger man put it to the side and keep on reading. But he wasn’t going to let that happen, because he felt that they needed to discuss this. This, this was several orders of magnitude more than Diggle ever could have guessed at. Just from what he’d read so far, he knew that they were dealing with someone centuries old and judging by the size of the file, many times that older.

“Oliver,” Diggle said. “This can’t be real, can it?”

“I don’t know,” Oliver replied, looking away from the file and focusing on his friend. “I’ve seen some things, things that defy rational explanation, but this? How is it even possible? I mean, if we believe this, he’s at least two thousand years old. It just doesn’t make any sense.”

Diggle didn’t have a response to that. He was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that this could actually be real. And if it was real, then there wasn’t just a man who’d lived for over two thousand years in Starling City, there was also a serial killer in their midst. Because accepting the file was real meant also accepting the list of people he’d killed was real as well, all 463 of them by the file’s count.


	11. Chapter 11

July 1, 2014

Paris, France

 

Joe Dawson was seated at a table next to the bar, working on the bar’s accounts. When the door opened, he turned to look, prepared to offer the habitual “Sorry, we’re closed. He smiled a little when he saw who it was. Duncan and Amanda returned the smile as they came over. Joe got up and went behind the bar, returning with a bottle of Glenmorangie and three glasses.

“How are you, Joe?” Duncan asked as he took his glass.

“Doing alright. Business is good, the new bartender is working out which means I get to play a couple of nights a week,” Joe told them.

“And the rest?” Amanda asked. She might not have been his friend, like Duncan was, but she was still very fond of the man.

Amanda and Duncan both knew that Joe had struggled for a time after the Watchers retired him from field duty. He’d spent almost thirty years as Duncan’s Watcher and even if Duncan was one of the less active Immortals during that time, it had still been an active life. To be told that he was getting too old, that his disability limited him, that the organization wanted a more active man had galled him. To be replaced by some snot-nosed Ivy league punk had hurt even more.

“I’m still on the Watchers Council and I’m helping with research. In fact, that’s part of the reason I called. Someone hacked the organization’s database last night.”

Duncan and Amanda froze at that. This was bad, they both knew because they’d been through a version of this not twenty years ago. That time, they’d gotten lucky, if one could call it that, that an Immortal had killed the person who had stolen the database. Granted, Kalas hadn’t done it because he cared, he’d done it as a way to try and get to Duncan.

“Do you know the potential….” Duncan started to say only to be stopped by Joe.

“I was there the last time, Duncan. Of course I know how bad it could be. I was also one of the few who warned the council against this. You know me, I’m old school. But these kids want all of that information at their fingertips. Some are even talking about sharing little pieces with other historians who don’t know about Immortals,” Joe said with a sigh.

“How bad is the damage?”

“Not bad, actually. It seems whoever the hacker was, they were only interested in one specific file. And the only reason that we caught on was how long it took them to download it, according to what we were told. The Chronicle is massive.”

“Methos?” Duncan asked, because the only reason that he could think of for a Watcher Chronicle to be massive was if the Immortal was really old and there weren’t that many that came to mind.

“No. It was Antonius’ Chronicle,” Joe said. “What we don’t know is why someone would want his Chronicle and only his. And, how they knew where to look for something like that as well. We’re looking into all of that.”

“And hopeful someone looking to increase your online security as well,” Amanda said.

“We are. I was able to convince the Council that the Chronicles should be taken offline for the time being, in case whoever did this decides to come back for more. They grumbled about it, but agreed that we couldn’t take the chance. Most of them still remember the panic of 1995 and know that this would be much, much worse. Then it was only the bare bones, names and pictures. The Chronicles themselves were still ink and paper volumes in the archives. Now, the wrong person could get it all.”

Duncan and Amanda stayed silent at that, knowing that their friend was right to worry. They were worrying as well, wondering what the purpose behind the hack was. Add to that the fact that the hack was targeted at a single Immortal and a whole host of questions arose. Was it another Immortal who had learned of the Watchers and was using their files to hunt? Had someone stumbled onto the secret of immortality? Or was there something about Anthony?

“Has Anthony’s watcher noticed anything unusual in the last few days?” Duncan asked.

“No, though he just reacquired him a couple of days ago,” Joe told him. “We lost track of him for a couple of weeks, not long after he went to his house near Bordeaux.”

Duncan was silent at that. He knew that this wasn’t unusual for the Watchers, that these men and women had lives outside of the Immortals they watched. Joe had even told Duncan of the few times the Watcher had lost him. So, the idea that Anthony had lost his Watcher didn’t surprise him, but why would he have needed to. Anthony and Thea were going to the house, so that Anthony could train her and so that they could enjoy some peace and solitude.

“Where is he now?”

“Starling City. We found him when he dueled Karl von Neurath. Von Neurath’s watcher let Antonius’ watcher know where he was. According to Antonius’ watcher, the old man is acquiring quite the harem.”

“That doesn’t sound right,” Duncan said, pushing down his reaction to von Neurath’s name. He was happy the man had been killed and not surprised that he hadn’t survived a century after his first death. He must have grown arrogant over the years to actually challenge someone so much older.

“The pictures don’t lie, Duncan,” Joe said. “Von Neurath’s watcher took some just after the duel. Antonius was with Miss Queen and two mystery women, one brunette and one blonde, both very attractive in her words. Antonius’ watcher was able to confirm that they are all now living together, or at least in the same building.”

Duncan was curious now. He’d seen his friend not even a month ago and nothing had been mentioned about anyone other than Thea. When and where had the other two women entered the picture and why. He knew it had to be connected to the time that Anthony had slipped his watcher, but why had he done so. The only person who had the answers was in Starling City and it was too early to call him.

Joe watched his friend, searching for the tells. Over thirty years, he’d come to learn them all. When he saw the hand twitch as if reaching for something, he knew Duncan had just stopped himself from picking up the phone.

“So, when are you leaving for Starling City?” Joe asked with a smile.

 

Starling City

 

Oliver was standing in the lair, watching as Diggle and Felicity left after a long night. He and Sara had stopped an arms deal, keeping the city’s streets a little safer. Nyssa and Roy had gone after one of the gangs in the Glades, leaving behind a pile of battered bodies for the SCPD to collect. The pair then stopped a group of men from sexually assaulting a young woman.

Once they were all back at the lair, Nyssa and Sara had been fairly quick to depart after Oliver said that they were done for the night. Roy had joined the team for a late dinner slash early breakfast before he left as well. When it was just down to the three of them, they started talking about the file that Felicity had found. Felicity had read the file while they were out, with Diggle keeping an eye on the monitors and handling communications, the few that there were. Felicity, it turned out, was more ready to believe than either of the men and started in on theories about how Mister Rossi had managed to live so long.

Oliver, for his part, couldn’t care less with the how. He was more interested in what the man’s goal was. He was also concerned for his sister, especially after Felicity had brought up Vampires. What had caused his mind to go there, he didn’t know, but he couldn’t shake the thought of Thea becoming Dracula’s Bride.

“So, what are you going to do about this?” Felicity asked.

“I don’t know,” Oliver said softly. And he honestly didn’t know. Considering how things turned out that last time he had confronted Mister Rossi went, he didn’t think that was a good idea. Just going and talking to him also struck Oliver as a non-starter, as the man most likely was an expert at deflecting question. Besides, the file sounded like fantasy to him, did he really think the public would believe it if he released it. And if the risk of public exposure was out, what other threats did he have? He could turn the video of the fight over to the police, which might see him arrested for homicide.

Oliver shook his head at that thought. The slowly mending relationship he had with his baby sister would be destroyed once again if he did that, because it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out where the video came from. Just like it didn’t take a genius to guess that Thea would side with Mister Rossi. He did wonder if she knew about her friend’s longevity. All these thoughts did nothing to get him closer to a solution. Once he admitted that, he told the others to go ahead and leave. After they left, Oliver settled himself at the computer and watched the video again. And again, continuing to rewind it to the beginning and watch it again, trying to learn everything he could, so that he could prepare for if they would ever have to fight.

Oliver had watched Slade with his swords, but had never felt a desire to learn the art himself. Now, he was thinking that might have been a mistake. Even if it had only been a few years, anything would be better than nothing. Not to mention, where was he going to find someone to train him now. Slade was on Lian Yu and still hated Oliver, Malcolm was most likely dead and if not, then a prisoner of the League of Assassins. He could ask Nyssa, but then he would have to explain why he felt the need to train with a sword. That was a non-starter there, as Nyssa seemed to be on friendly terms with Mister Rossi and much less so with Oliver. She would likely refuse him before telling the other man about the request or she would agree but still tell. Even if he didn’t tell her why he wanted to learn now, it wouldn’t be something difficult to figure out.

All of his thoughts just kept returning to the same place, that he was nowhere in figuring out what to do about what he had learned.

 

July 2, 2014

Starling City

 

Oliver was alone in the lair, it being too early in the day for Felicity to be there. She was at her job and he knew she would be in tonight anyways. In fact, he’d given the team the night off, just asking that they be reachable in case something happened. Diggle had been pleased, as this would provide him and Lyla a chance to go shopping for furniture for the baby’s room.

So, Oliver was spending his time working out with the Escrima sticks. He’d started with attacks on the Wing Chun dummy, then had moved on to a set of metal posts, so that he could be moving as he attacked. The sound of the sticks striking the metal meant that he didn’t hear the faint sound of footsteps on the stairway leading down into the lair. As he was in the back of the lair, he didn’t see Nyssa and Sara as they approached, with Nyssa holding a box about the size of one used to carry wine bottles.

Nyssa set the box on one of the metal table in the lair and stood next to it. When Sarab had arrived last night from Nanda Parbat, she had wanted to return to the Arrow’s base immediately. It was only Sara’s words of caution that had led her to delay this until now. It was also likely better to do this while Mister Queen was alone and let him decide how much, if anything, the rest of his team needed to know. The rest of Starling City didn’t matter, as they already believed that Malcolm Merlyn had died in the Undertaking.

The sound of the Escrima sticks striking metal finally stopped. When Oliver walked back into the main part of the lair, he was surprised to see the two women standing there. So much so, in fact, that if he hadn’t have recognized Sara at the last second, Nyssa would have been dodging an Escrima stick thrown at her head.

“What the hell, Sara?” Oliver asked, his tone making it clear that he was agitated.

“And hello to you too, Ollie,” Sara bit back at him.

“How am I supposed to react when you and her surprise me like that?”

Sara bit back what she was about to say, knowing it would only make things worse. Oliver was her friend, but there were times when she just wanted to smack him. Although, he did have something of a point, as she remembered the night Slade had gotten into the lair and basically decimated the team. So, maybe a little paranoia was a good thing after all.

“Fine. From now on, we’ll call or text before we come here outside of normal hours.”

“So, what’s in the box?” Oliver asked.

“My father asked that I deliver this to you, Mister Queen,” Nyssa said as she opened the box and removed the head of Malcolm Merlyn.

Oliver recognized the face immediately, even contorted as it now was. The mouth open, though whether it was a scream of horror, agony or defiance was something only Ra’s al Ghul and those members of the League present would know. Oliver couldn’t help himself for the momentary hope that it was agony, as he thought about the loss that the man had been responsible for. Not just those killed in the Undertaking, but also his father, the crew of the Gambit and Sara. Sara had lost her innocence because of Merlyn, been forced to become a killer, been damaged as much as Oliver himself was. In some ways, Sara had been right when she’d said that they both died on that island. Ollie had died on that island and been reborn, forged into what he was today and all Ollie was now was another mask for him to wear. Just as the Sara from before the Gambit, the girl who slept with her sister’s boyfriend because she felt like it, had been reborn into Ta-er al-Sahfer, the Canary. And while he mourned that girl, he was happy that she had survived.

“Nyssa, could I speak with you for a moment?” Oliver asked.

Nyssa and Sara exchanged a quizzical glance before the blonde walked away.

“Mister Queen,” Nyssa said.

“I never got a chance, before you and the League left, to say thank you. And I know you did it because Sara pledged herself to the League again, but that shouldn’t matter as much as the fact that you did it. I also need to say thank you for saving Sara, for gifting her family and friends more time with her. Without you, we wouldn’t have had that gift.”

Nyssa looked down at the hand that Oliver was extending to her. She hesitated for a moment before taking it. She still didn’t like him and that probably never would change. She did, however, accept the apology that was hidden within those words. He couldn’t know that the only thanks she’d ever really needed had been watching Sara and her family say their farewells at the Starling Port. The hug between the Lance sisters was something that she was envious of, as it was something that she would never receive from her own sister.

Having done what they needed to do, Nyssa and Sara left the lair for the night. Oliver hadn’t been expecting a response from Nyssa and was in some ways glad that there wasn’t one. For now, he took the box upstairs and stored it in the club’s freezer, not knowing what else to do with it at the moment. Besides, before that, he needed to figure out what he was going to tell the rest of the team.

 

July 3, 2014

Starling City

 

Duncan stood outside a nondescript building in a rougher part of the city, glancing again at his phone to double check the address. Not that he really needed to, as he had felt a buzz as he approached. It just wasn’t as powerful as he’d expected it to be, nor was it the pre-immortal one he’d felt when he’d met Thea Queen. Taking a moment, he let his hand find the hilt of his katana, readying himself. With that done, he pressed the buzzer on the call box. There was no reply, but a couple of minutes later the door was opened by an attractive blonde.

“Can I help you?” Sara asked, looking over the man.

“Is Anthony Rossi in?” Duncan asked in return.

“Not right now. I can let him know you stopped, if you want to give me your name?”

“My name is Duncan McLeod. If you could let him know I’m staying….”

“Duncan?” Thea said as she came down the stairs. She had thought she recognized his voice and after completing her set of repetitions with Nyssa, she’d practically jogged down the stairs.

“Thea, it is so good to see you again,” Duncan said as he gave her a hug and kiss to the cheek. Then a slightly sad look took over his face as he put two and two together. “How long?”

“Three weeks. And don’t look so glum. If it was going to happen, better that it happened now. I mean, Anthony has been an amazing teacher, as have Nyssa and Sara.”

“Anthony and Nyssa more than me, Speedy,” Sara said with a smile, before looking at Duncan once again. “Why don’t you come on inside and wait. Anthony should be back in a little while. He went grocery shopping.”

Duncan smiled and followed them inside. Once they were on the second floor, they entered a large open area that reminded him of his dojo in Seacouver. In the middle of the room was a brunette wearing a loose black top and black yoga pants. In fact, all three women were similarly attired, though Thea’s top was maroon with black accents. He noticed that she was giving him an appraising look as she approached him.

“I am Nyssa, Heir to the Demon.”

“Duncan McLeod of the Clan McLeod.”

“Mister Rossi has mentioned you several times as both a good friend and fellow warrior,” Nyssa told him.

“Anthony is a great friend,” Duncan told her, his voice a touch melancholy as he thought about other friends, such as Darius, Hugh Fitzcairn and Richie. Brothers in all but blood, now gone. He also thought about the friends he still had left, like Amanda, Methos, Joe and Anthony.

“So, what brought you to Starling City, Duncan?” Thea asked. “I mean, I know it wasn’t the scenery, because you live in Paris.”

“Something happened that I need to talk with Anthony about.”

Thea was about to respond when both she and Duncan felt it. This was the buzz he’d been expecting to feel when he’d arrived. The pair looked toward the stairs, while Nyssa and Sara looked at them curiously, not having heard anything. Then came the sound of the front door opening, announcing that Anthony was back from his grocery shopping. Thea frowned when she saw him appear without any bags of groceries, until she noticed the katana by his side, ready to attack or defend himself if needed.

“Duncan?” Anthony said, puzzled, as he was certainly not expecting to see his friend here. In fact, he was slightly curious as to how Duncan had known where they were. “What are you doing here?”

“We need to talk,” Duncan said.

“Alright. Just let me get the groceries and get them put away.”

“We’ll get them for you,” Sara said, nudging Nyssa. Thea went with them, while Anthony took Duncan up to the next floor, where their living space was. Duncan took a seat on the couch, while Anthony went and got them something to drink. Grabbing two beers from the refrigerator, Anthony opened them and went back to the couch.

“What’s wrong?” Anthony asked.

“Joe asked to see me a couple of days ago,” Duncan told him.

Anthony’s eyes narrowed slightly at that. He liked Joe, thought that he was a good man. It was just that Joe meant Watchers and he still harbored a large amount of anger at that organization. Yes, it had been a rogue group, but that didn’t, couldn’t, absolve the Watchers for their part in the death of Darius. If it had been another Immortal who had fought his friend, taken his head in a fair fight, Anthony would have been angry, but would have forgiven them. Forgiven, not just because that is what Darius would have wanted, but because his friend’s quickening, his soul, would have continued to live on in another. Perhaps changed that man as much as Darius had been changed when he’d received the quickening of that holy man at the gates of Paris. Instead, Darius’ quickening had been essentially wasted when he’d been beheaded by the Hunters and his friend was truly no more.

“I’m assuming that Joe didn’t just want to get together, have a few drinks and listen to the Blues.”

“No. Joe wanted to warn me about a problem, not just for the Watchers but potentially for Immortals as well.”

Nyssa, Sara and Thea had managed to make quick work of the groceries, so they came into the living area together. Nyssa and Sara took the chairs, while Thea squeezed onto the couch beside Anthony.

“What’s the problem?” Thea asked.

“The Watchers got hacked. According to Joe, whoever it was was very good, but for whatever reason they lingered in the system just long enough for it to be noticed,” Duncan said.

“Watchers?” Sara asked, just before Thea could.

“The Watchers are an organization of mortals who learned about Immortals centuries ago. Their purpose is to observe and record, but not interfere. However, about twenty years ago, a small group of Watchers decided that Immortals were a threat to mankind and decided that since they knew how to kill Immortals, they should use that to eliminate the threat,” Anthony said, his voice surprisingly even.

“This group killed our friend Darius and were preparing to kill another friend of mine when I managed to stop them. I was chasing after their leader when I met Joe Dawson. We talked, he explained about the Watchers, that they had had no part in Darius’ death. Joe said that Darius was one of the Watchers great hopes,” Duncan told them.

“Great hopes?”

Anthony and Duncan shared a look. Neither wanted to talk about this. Both were currently reluctant players in the Game and the Prize was something neither of them truly aspired to. Talking about the Game meant thinking about the fact that they might have to fight one another, thinking about killing a friend.

“When there are only a few Immortals remaining, we will feel a pull towards a far off land. There, we will battle until the last. The last Immortal wins the Prize. None of us know for sure what that is, though some believe it is the power of all the Immortals who have ever lived. Enough power, in the hands of someone evil, to plunge humanity into an eternity of darkness. The Watchers’ great hopes are Immortals like Darius and Duncan, men of honor who they believe would weld the Prize for the betterment of mankind.”

“We’re getting a little off track here,” Sara said.

“Indeed. The Watchers got hacked, fine. Why is this a problem?” Anthony asked.

“Because whoever the hacker is, they were able to get into the Chronicles,” Duncan told them. “Specifically, your Chronicle.”

“Shit.”

“As Joe said, it could have been much worse. Like 1995 worse. Not that that’s going to make you feel any better, considering that someone somewhere now knows everything about you, or at least everything that the Watchers know.”

“Are you saying that his Chronicle was the only one the hacker looked for or took?” Sara asked.

“According to what Joe said, yes,” Duncan told her.

“Then I might know who the hacker is. And you do too, Nyssa.”

Nyssa looked at her beloved, thinking. The other three just watched them, waiting with differing levels of patience. Then it hit her, the blonde who assisted Mister Queen’s work as the Arrow. What was it she’d said when they introduced themselves to each other.

“Felicity Smoak, MIT, Class of 2009,” Nyssa said with a whisper of a smile crossing her face. She’d respected the other woman, brief though their time around one another had been. Her willingness to do what it took to stop Slade Wilson, at considerable risk to herself, was something that Nyssa had been surprised to see from the woman. Felicity was clearly not trained in even the most basic of self-defense, so all of her hopes were pinned on Mister Queen’s plan being successful.

“Why do you think she’s behind this?” Anthony asked.

“Because she is the technical support behind the Arrow and the Arrow is Oliver Queen. After your confrontation, where you easily bested the man, I would not be surprised if he had gone back to his lair and asked Miss Smoak to start researching you. How she got from that to these Watchers is something only she would know.”

“We could always ask her,” Sara said. Seeing the looks that Thea, Anthony and even Nyssa were giving her, she quickly started talking again. “No, I don’t mean like that. I mean, I could call her and ask if she’s free for lunch. Felicity is a friend or at least I consider her a friend, so I think she’d be willing to get together. Then, Nyssa and I talk with her. Just talk, that’s all.”

“That could work,” Nyssa said.

“Especially if her brain-to-mouth filter fails her.”

“Her what filter?” Duncan asked.

“Her brain-to-mouth filter. Felicity is a genius, but she has this habit of letting her mouth get ahead of her brain. Watching her try to talk back what she’s said just makes it funnier. And she tends to babble when she gets nervous, which could be annoying but from her, it’s just super cute,” Sara said, getting up and retrieving her phone.

Sitting back down, Sara went to her contacts, smiling sadly. It wasn’t hard to find Felicity, as she only had seven contacts listed in the phone. Before the Gambit, there had been dozens. Now, it was just her dad and her sister, Ollie, Diggle, Felicity, Nyssa and Thea. Thea’s had just been added once they’d arrived in Starling, the others from after her return last year. Collecting her thoughts, she called the number for Felicity.

“Hi, Sara,” Felicity said when she answered her phone, surprise evident in her tone. She knew that the Assassin was back, she just hadn’t run into her yet in the Arrow cave.

“Hey. Just calling to see if you wanted to get together, maybe grab lunch and talk?”

“Sure! How about Big Belly in an hour? I was planning on stopping there while out running errands, so that would be perfect.”

“Sounds good. See you in an hour,” Sara told her, then heard the other woman hang up the phone.

An hour later, Sara walked into Big Belly Burger to find Felicity already there. Going to the counter, she placed her order before joining her friend at the booth near the back of the restaurant. A moment later, one of the restaurant staff bought out Sara’s order. Sara’s mouth watered as she opened the wrapper, drawing a knowing smile from Felicity.

“That smells so good,” Sara said as she quickly took a bit of the burger.

“I take it they don’t have Big Belly in Nanda Parbat,” Felicity said with a laugh.

“Not even close.”

“Just another reason to not go there, beside the whole secret society of killers. Not that I’m saying you’re a killer, Sara. Oh frack, some of the things that come into of my mouth would be better off being swallowed.”

Sara started to laugh at that, surprising Felicity until her mind caught up and realized how that might have sounded. Then, Felicity blushed an adorable shade of pink. Sara just couldn’t help herself, the laughter just kept coming.

“Don’t ever change, please,” Sara told the other blonde.

“Even if I wanted to, I don’t think I could,” Felicity told her.

The two women took a couple of moments to enjoy some more of their burgers and fries.

“How have you been?”

“Working a new job at Tech Village, which totally sucks. I mean, I graduated from MIT with two Masters degrees and that was the only place that even called me for an interview when Queen Consolidated let me go. I’m almost sure Isabel had something to do with it.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me at all,” Sara said.

“If she wasn’t dead, I’d probably be looking at destroying her credit rating, cleaning out her bank accounts or something,” Felicity told her.

“And your night work? How is that going?”

“Good, actually. No big threat out there, so we’re trying to take down the gangs and low level criminal activities.”

Sara had gotten good at reading people. Nyssa had spent a lot of time on that, when she was training the girl she’d rescued. Being able to read people, their words, the tone of their voice, the way they held themselves, all of that was important. The words might mean one thing, but their body language signaled something else. Or, a little hitch, like Felicity had when she said ‘No Big Threat’ could mean that they were hiding something.

“Well, that’s good at least. You guys deserve a break,” Sara said.

“Maybe you could talk to Oliver about that. Because I don’t think he knows what a break is. Just like he doesn’t seem to trust almost anyone,” Felicity said.

“We’ve both had some experiences that have shown us the dangers of trusting the wrong people.”

“So, what? You don’t trust anyone? That’s not a healthy way to live.”

“Maybe, but it’s a good way not to die. For me and Ollie, trust isn’t something that is given, it’s something that is earned,” Sara told her, looking at her friend. “What’s got you thinking about Ollie’s inability to trust?”

“The man that was with Thea when she returned?” Felicity asked rhetorically, watching Sara. Seeing her nod, she continued. “Oliver has me looking into him, trying to find as much as I can.”

“What did you find?”

“I really shouldn’t say, Sara. I mean, you kind of know him, right. And it might not be good, the things that I’ve found.”

“Felicity, do you trust me? Because, you know I trust you, right? When you, Dig and Ollie found out about the League, you were the only one who didn’t, even subtly, treat me differently. Like I was some kind of monster and I don’t think I ever really told you just how much that meant to me. That someone like you, who is the personification of light, could still see some good in me,” Sara said, a small smile on her lips.

“Then, you saved my life and took a bullet for me. That day, that was when I knew I would always trust you. And I’m hoping that you trust me enough to know that nothing you could say, short of you saying you’re sleeping with Nyssa, would make me stop trusting you.”

Sara really smiled at the cute blush that came to Felicity’s cheeks when she’d talked about the nerdy girl sleeping with her beloved.

“Sara, I do trust you,” Felicity said, thinking about it for a moment and knowing it was true. Yes, they’d gotten off to a somewhat rocky start and Felicity was still jealous that the other woman had slept with Oliver. But Sara had earned her trust many time over by her actions. So, she could either trust her now or deal with what that lack of trust meant for their friendship.

“We were looking into Mister Rossi and I found some pictures of him online. One of those pictures went back to a hidden website, hidden in that it doesn’t have a URL, just an IP address. And it required a login to access, so I had to hack in. We found a file there, actually more like a journal. If it is real, then Mister Rossi is about 2000 years old.”

“How is that possible?” Sara asked, hoping her dismay sounded like shock to Felicity. Because this was bad, really bad.

“I don’t know. I’ve already eliminated Vampire, because he was out in the daylight which is supposed to kill a Vampire. But that’s not the worst of it. The day that you all came to Verdant, Mister Rossi went outside and fought someone, whom he killed. By decapitating him.”

Scratch that, Sara thought. This is beyond bad, especially if, as it sounded, Oliver and the team had a video of this. She knew that the team wouldn’t go to the police with this, as there was always a chance that Oliver’s secret would be outed. That didn’t mean that Oliver wouldn’t be thinking of dealing with this himself, not knowing how badly outclassed he would be in almost any fight against Anthony.

“I don’t think Oliver is planning anything just yet,” Felicity said, mistaking the look on Sara’s face for concern about Mister Rossi. “Mister Rossi can always leave town, lay low until Oliver’s focus is on the next threat, the next mission.”

“That’s not likely to happen, not unless Thea went with him. And if Thea left, that would just make Ollie madder at Mister Rossi. Anger that Ollie would want to take out on him the next time he sees him, meaning Mister Rossi and Thea would need to stay away longer and so on.”

“Pulling Oliver into a never ending spiral of anger, where the madder he gets the worse he makes things. Frack!”

Sara quietly agreed with her friend. Now, she just wondered if there was anyway to stop Oliver before he did something that he would regret. If there was to be, she knew the first step would be getting the woman sitting with her on her side.

“Are you doing anything super important today?” Sara asked.

“Just errands and maybe some window shopping,” Felicity told her.

“Then you’re coming with me.”

With that, Sara and Felicity finished eating. Then, it was out to Felicity’s car, where Sara handled the driving. A short time later, they pulled up at the League safe house that they were using while in Starling City. Felicity managed to keep her curiosity in check on the ride over, even though Sara could easily see it was bubbling just below the surface.

Leading the way inside, Sara smiled when she came into the main floor. Thea and Nyssa were sparring, working on the younger woman’s hand-to-hand skills. On the far side of the floor, Anthony and Duncan were also sparring, working on their swordsmanship skills. The pair were using their real swords, not the bokken, and were going at it much more aggressively than Nyssa and Thea were with their hand-to-hand. In fact, a particularly close slash elicited a cry from Felicity, which alerted the others that they had company. This brought an end to the training, as everyone was now focused on them, with looks that mixed confusion and curiosity, along with a small amount of anger.

“This is Felicity,” Sara said to the group facing them. “Felicity, you remember Nyssa and I’m sure you’ve met Thea.”

“Indeed, Miss Smoak. It is good to see you again,” Nyssa told the blonde IT wiz.

“And this is, as I’m sure you know, Anthony Rossi.”

“Hello,” Anthony said to Felicity before looking at Sara. “Not to be rude, but could we talk to you for a moment, Sara.”

“Nyssa, why don’t you and Thea take Felicity upstairs. We’ll be up shortly,” Sara said.

Having a very good idea about the topic of conversation, Nyssa didn’t protest at all. She led the way to the stairs, with Felicity following and Thea bringing up the rear. Thea paused at the bottom of the steps to look at Anthony, who gave her an encouraging smile. Once she was gone, he turned his full attention to Sara.

“She knows. Not everything, but too much for comfort.”

“When you say she knows….”

“She knows that you have a longer than normal lifespan. She’s the one who hacked the Watchers, she’s read the entire document about you. She doesn’t know why you are the way you are or anything like that, though she has eliminated Vampire from the list of possibilities,” Sara told him.

“And you think what? That I should tell her? Show her? What exactly led you to bring her here?” Anthony asked.

“I was thinking that you need this to stay secret. How easy do you think that would be if Oliver is looking for you? If he was to get A.R.G.U.S involved, things would be even worse.”

Anthony let out a sigh, his worst thoughts flashing before his eyes as a series of ‘I told you so, I told you’. Of course, it would be this person. Out of the millions of hackers and the millions of searches, she had to perform the right search at the right time to lead her to that specific photo and that particular site. All of it because he’d given in and ignored a basic rule of Immortality: You Die, You Move On. Thea coming home to Starling led to him meeting her brother, the vigilante. Meeting her brother led to her brother deciding to look into him, which led to his friend searching the internet and now they knew his secret. Or thought that they did.

Duncan stood silently, knowing that this was something that Anthony would have to sort out for himself. He’d been in a somewhat similar when someone had caught one of his fights against a fellow immortal on camera and tried to use it to blackmail him, threatening to release it to the world. He’d felt a variety of things at the time, mostly anger. Anger that other people would never understand, that they would see the fight and simply see him as a killer. That they would never know it was about survival, about wanting to live and wasn’t that what every man and woman wanted, to live.

“Lets go talk with her.”

With that, Anthony led the way upstairs. He found the three women sitting in the living area, with Thea and Nyssa on the couch while Felicity sat in one of the chairs. Thea slid over so that Anthony could sit next to her, putting him across from Felicity. Sara took the other chair, while Duncan chose to sit on one of the dining table’s chairs. The seating arrangement didn’t escape Felicity’s notice. The fact that she was in the chair closer to the stairs and therefore the exit was meant to provide her a measure of comfort. A sign that she could leave whenever she wished to, though she knew that none of them would have a problem stopping her if they wanted to.

“So, Felicity,” Anthony said, looking at the blonde IT girl, trying to be his most reassuring, non-threatening. “Sara said that you know, but I have to wonder how much you know or think that you know.”

“I know that you’re supposed to be over two thousand years old, if the document I found is correct. I know that you were born a Roman citizen. What I don’t know is how you are still alive, though I have eliminated Vampires, since I know you’ve been outside in the sunlight and that is supposed to kill a Vampire. I also don’t know why you’re here, in Starling City. Was it to kill the man you fought outside of Verdant? Or is it something else?” Felicity said, looking around the room.

“You do know that hacking is a crime? So is blackmail or extortion.”

“Hacking? Hacking is such an ugly word.”

“But it is the term for unauthorized access to secured computer files, is it not?” Anthony asked. “Because that is what you did. You accessed files that didn’t belong to you, without permission.”

“The only problem is, if you turn me in for the crime, you know that the document will be the key piece of evidence. Once it is evidence, it becomes public record, which means everyone knows your secret. See, I’m blonde, but not that blonde,” Felicity told him.

“Felicity, no one is talking about turning you in. I think what Anthony is concerned about is what you and, maybe more importantly Ollie, intend to do what that document,” Sara put in, growing a little concerned at the direction the talk had taken and trying to turn the heat in it down.

“Well, I can’t speak for Oliver. He’ll make his own decisions and I’ll only know once he has. As for me, I don’t intend on doing anything with it, unless he becomes a threat to me or someone I care about. And while I know, from the document, that you have killed a lot of people, somehow I don’t think you’re a threat to me. I just hope that I’m right about that.”

“Maybe if I tell you how I met Anthony, it will help,” Thea told her, drawing Felicity’s attention to her. “The night of the Siege, I was at the train station waiting for my train. That when those people attacked. I tried to run, but one of them caught me. He had me by the neck and I was certain I was going to die. Then, I was on the ground and the man had a sword sticking through his stomach. The person who saved me was Anthony. He didn’t have to, he could have run, putting his safety first. But he chose to save me, someone he didn’t even know. Not only that, but he got me away from the train station, stopping another of those men rampaging through the city in the process. Then, he took me with him on his way out of the city. I’d have died that night if it wasn’t for him.”

Felicity looked at the younger woman with surprise. She, Oliver and the rest of the team had been sure that the girl had gotten away from the city before the Siege began. Now, to hear that she hadn’t and how close she’d come to being killed, it felt like they had failed her. Felicity was so focused on what she was thinking that she missed the look that passed between the three Immortals, as they all knew that it wouldn’t have been permanent.

“So, I guess I don’t have to worry about him killing me,” Felicity said quietly.

“You have nothing to fear from any of us, Miss Smoak,” Nyssa told her.

If what Thea had told her surprised her, that was nothing compared to how stunned she was at those simple words from Nyssa. The woman was, after all, a highly skilled assassin. If Felicity should fear any of the people in this room, it should be Nyssa. Yet, even though she couldn’t explain why, she didn’t. It wasn’t because Sara was there and she thought Sara would protect her. She’d seen how afraid her friend had been last year when Nyssa was in town, trying to get her back to the League. Sara had thought the only way to win was to kill herself, which, seeing how good Sara was when she sparred against Oliver and Diggle, spoke to how truly deadly Nyssa had to be.

“Miss Smoak, I’m here because of Thea. In the short time that I’ve known her, I’ve come to care about her a great deal,” Anthony told Felicity, while his hand sought out Thea’s.

“And I came here because, regardless of how hurt and angry I am, this is still my home and Ollie is still my family.”

Seeing the pair like this, as well as remembering Sara’s words from earlier, caused Felicity to feel conflicted. The list of people that Mister Rossi had killed painted a picture of a murderer, but that didn’t match what she was seeing. As she thought about that, she realized that her early perception of Oliver had been the same. The Hood killed people and could rightly be considered a murderer. Yet, Oliver cared about the city and the good people who called it home. He didn’t kill because he enjoyed it, he killed because it was necessary. Perhaps her earlier judgment was right and the same could be said of Mister Rossi, that he killed because it was necessary.

Sara watched her friend, surprised that she had managed to be silent this long. She had been sure that Felicity would have started to babble by now, just as she was certain that there were hundreds of questions buzzing in the blonde IT genius’ head. Yet, Felicity simply sat there, watching. It was so out of character that Sara actually looked closer, if only to make sure the other woman was still breathing. This got a flinch out of Felicity and seemed to snap her out of her daze.

“Are you okay, Felicity?” Sara asked.

“Yeah, I’m just not sure what I’ll say to Oliver the next time I see him. Because actually meeting Mister Rossi leaves an entirely different impression than just reading that file,” Felicity told her.

Anthony watched the pair of blondes, his initial irritation at the meeting having disappeared to a certain extent. The questions, the judgment and everything else he’d been expecting didn’t happen. Yet, he knew that Felicity had a lot of questions and was holding them back. This surprised him, considering the impression he’d formed when Sara and Nyssa had talked about her.

The sound of a cell phone going off turned everyone’s attention to Felicity, who worked the offending item from her purse. Checking the message, she groaned before putting it away. Then, she stood.

“I have to go. Oliver wants me to come earlier.”

“Well, why don’t Nyssa and I go with you, then?” Sara asked.

With that, the gathering began to break up. Sara and Nyssa went to their rooms and got changed, then they follow Felicity out the door. As they left, Felicity realized that she had a bunch of questions she would have liked to had Mister Rossi answer. Then she thought that it might be better not knowing the answers for a whole host of reasons.


	12. Chapter 12

Starling City

 

Oliver was working out on the salmon ladder when the door to the basement opened. He paused just long enough to pick up the sound of heels on the metal stairs, then went back to finishing the climb. As he landed, he saw that Felicity was not alone, something that caused his features to harden slightly. He’d planned on talking to Diggle and Felicity about Malcolm’s death, but he’d also wanted to discuss Mister Rossi. However, that wasn’t something he wanted to talk about in front of either Sara or Nyssa.

Felicity looked around and noticed that neither John nor Roy were there yet. Before she could give voice to her thoughts, the door opened again and the two men in question came down the stairs. Diggle was only slightly surprised to see Nyssa and Sara there as well, as he was still somewhat adjusting to them being around. He wasn’t yet ready to call them a part of the team, however.

“What’s the big emergency, Oliver,” Roy asked, curious about why they had been asked to be here in the middle of the afternoon.

“Malcolm Merlyn is dead,” Oliver said, deciding to just go for it rather than work up to it. Seeing the look in John’s eye, he shook his head. “For certain this time. He was killed by the League of Assassins as punishment for his crimes against them and Nyssa was ordered to deliver his head to me as proof that justice was served.”

The reactions from the trio were about what Oliver had expected. Diggle looked, if not satisfied, then at least relieved that the man wouldn’t be coming back, perhaps to finish what he’d started with the Undertaking. Felicity looked green, like she was just holding back becoming physically ill at the thought. Roy looked happy and given that the young man was from the Glades and had known people hurt or worse by the Undertaking, it was the expected reaction to hearing the man behind it got what he deserved.

“What are you planning to do with it?” Diggle asked.

“A part of me just wants to toss it in the nearest dumpster. This is the man responsible for everything that Sara and I suffered these last six years. Because if not for Malcolm Merlyn, we never would have ended up on Lian Yu. Without Lian Yu, we never would have heard of Slade Wilson, nor he of Starling City. Sara wouldn’t have ended up in the League, wouldn’t have experienced at that that meant. And neither of us would have become killers. But then I remember Tommy and that this was his father. It feels like I’m disrespecting him by doing something like that.”

“We could just leave it where someone from the SCPD would find it,” Roy said. “Say, the nearest doughnut shop.”

Oliver shot a look at Roy, as did Felicity and Sara. Roy had the good sense to look a little chastened, until the others were no longer looking at him. If it was up to him, he’d toss the head in the nearest urinal and let people piss on it. Thea’s father or not, the man was a murderer and had gotten what he’d deserved.

Felicity turned her gaze onto Oliver after the brief look at Roy. She had been around the man long enough to know there was something else he wanted to talk about. He certainly wouldn’t have called them in this early just to tell them about Malcolm’s death. If it was a member of the team’s death or one of their friends, certainly. Because that would give them time to deal with the emotions that such an event would bring with it. It didn’t take her long to figure would what wasn’t being said, especially given the way Oliver kept looking at Sara and Nyssa. Felicity knew that he hadn’t called them and he looked unhappy that they were here right now. That meant that he had wanted to talk about Mister Rossi.

“Was there something else we needed to talk about?” Felicity asked, deciding that the best thing to do was try to get this all out in the open.

“Nyssa, Sara. Could you excuse us for a few minutes?” Oliver asked in turn.

“No, Oliver. They are here to help us, so they are either a part of this team or they are our allies. That means that we don’t keep secrets from them. So, whatever you want to say about Mister Rossi, you can say it in front of them.”

The room fell deathly silent at that. Nyssa and Sara just watched and waited, though they were a little surprised that the blonde IT genius was standing up to Oliver Queen for them. Roy was amused, thinking that Felicity looked really sexy right now. Even though he still wanted to get back together with Thea, he’d have to be blind or dead not to know that the blonde was an attractive woman, but seeing her like this was hot. Diggle, on the other hand, was extremely concerned, because he remembered another time where Felicity walked out on the team when she had gotten like this. He hoped that Oliver would keep his cool and not make matters worse.

“Felicity, ordinarily I would agree with you. The problem is that our ‘allies’, as you call them, are currently living with someone who could be our enemy. So how am I supposed to make plans to deal with Mister Rossi while having to consider the possibility that everything we plan could be going straight back to the man,” Oliver said, the entire time keeping his voice level.

“Mister Rossi is not your enemy, Mister Queen,” Nyssa tried to tell him.

“He’s a murderer. The only difference between him and Malcolm Merlyn is that most of the people Malcolm killed were all at the same time. So, tell me, why did the League demand the death of one, but protects the other?”

“By that reasoning, Ollie, you’re just a guilty as either Malcolm or Anthony. I mean, the first year you were here, how many people did you kill? The five years you were away, how many people did you kill? Twenty? Fifty? A Hundred?” Sara asked, her voice rising with each word, her tone full of anger at the blatant hypocrisy in his words. She was also upset, because if that was truly how Oliver felt, then how did he really see her. Sara had taken a number of lives while in the League. She was only able to justify it by the thought that the people she had killed were evil and by killing them, she was helping to make the world a better place. Much like Oliver had during the time he was the Hood.

“The people I killed...” Oliver started to stay before stopping, fighting to control the anger that was boiling inside himself. There was a small part of himself that recognized that this was rapidly spinning out of control and that the wrong word said now could very well end his friendship with Sara as well as fracture the team. After taking several deep, measured breaths, he finally felt calm enough to continue. “I’ve killed to survive and I’ve killed to protect those who can’t protect themselves. I haven’t killed for the pleasure of it, for profit or just because I felt like it. And yes, my body count is in the several hundreds, because I view those who died in the Undertaking or the Siege as my victims.”

Sara and Nyssa just gave him a look, having already heard this from the man before. This belief that he was responsible for everything was both annoying and counterproductive, to say the least. It was holding him back from the greatness that the Heir to the Demon could begrudgingly see within him. Oliver had failed in the Undertaking because he had underestimated his opponent, not considering that the man would have a backup plan. That was only compounded by failing to insure that the Malcolm Merlyn was truly dead.

As for Slade Wilson and his army, Nyssa could not argue for or against Oliver’s choice of trying to kill the man over trying to cure him. That his attempt to kill the Australian had failed and that the man had made it off the island were the key factors in the Siege. Even if Oliver had not returned home, it is still possible that Slade would have come to Starling to get his revenge. And even if Oliver had tried to cure him and it had worked, that would have been no guarantee that the man wouldn’t have wanted revenge for Shado’s death. Just that without the Mirakuru, there wouldn’t have been the whole army of enhanced thugs terrorizing the city. The revenge plan would have been more focused on personal revenge against Oliver. All of the distractions Slade had used to keep his opponent off balance while he plotted his moves would likely have still been used.

“Have you considered that that might very well be what Mister Rossi has been doing? That he might very well be fighting to survive, not just going out and killing random people. Why does he have less of a right to survive than you do, Oliver?” Felicity asked.

“I didn’t say that he doesn’t, Felicity. But, I can’t have a sword wielding killer on the loose in my city. Also, what about the man that he killed and his right to survive.”

“Then the question is who started the fight,” Diggle said. “Did this Mister Rossi provoke the fight or did he defend himself. And the only way to know that would be to watch the tape again.”

Felicity went over to her computer at that comment. It was the work of a moment to bring the file back up and then get to the right point. Before she started it, Diggle stopped her.

“The first question I would have is why did Mister Rossi leave the club. What led to him going outside in the first place. Now, start the video.”

They all watched as Anthony walked out of the club and through the parking area. It was clear that he’d walked out of one camera’s view and into another’s before the other man stepped into view. There was a brief point where they appeared to be talking to one another, then the other man drew a sword and advanced.

“That looks like the other man was the aggressor,” Diggle said. “Now, we can’t know what was said. If Mister Rossi taunted him or something, we’ll never know.”

The rest of the video showed the quick defense offered by Mister Rossi, which turned the tables on the other man. Diggle had Felicity stop it just before the killing stroke, something which she was very grateful for. They could see a momentary pause here, as if Mister Rossi was saying something to the other man, something that was lost due to the surveillance cameras not having audio.

Oliver just stood there, staring off into the distance as he thought. He could understand the points that Diggle, Sara and the others were trying to push. It was just that he didn’t entirely agree with them. He couldn’t say if that was because his sister was involved or not, he just knew that was how he felt. He knew he would need to take some time and think about all of this. Also, tonight would be just training. Because with where his head was at right now, hitting the street would most like result in him taking out his frustrations on the bad guys.

The group slowly paired off, with Nyssa going to work with Diggle and Roy while Sara and Oliver went to the other side of the lair and Felicity decided to leave, so that she could catch up on her sleep. The duo each grabbed a set of Escrima sticks and began slowly trading blows, back and forth. Sara’s speed more than made up the difference in size between them, as she managed to get the first pair of hits in. Oliver was patient, however, and when he finally got his opening, he took full advantage. Three quick strikes and Sara was flat on her back, one of the sticks hovering just off the bridge of her nose.

Roy and Diggle didn’t have a chance to see this, as all of there focus was currently on Nyssa and the moves she was teaching them. At the moment, Roy was the somewhat unfortunate sparing partner getting tossed to the mat with ease. Still, he got up quickly and came at her again, earning a nod from his teacher. She liked that the young man didn’t seem to have any quit in him and that he didn’t complain as he was tossed to the mat again and again. She could also see that he was learning, as this time he was able to slip her hold and she was the one who ended up on the mat.

“Very good, Mister Harper. Now, let us do it again, but a little faster this time,” Nyssa told him. “And then it will be Mister Diggle who gets a chance.”

The next two hours went like this and by the time it was done, both Roy and Diggle were sore but smiling in spite of it. With training done and the team not going on patrol, it was going to be an early evening for the team. The foursome that didn’t make the basement their homes headed out for the night. When they reach the outside, Roy headed off for home, while Diggle turned towards where his van was waiting and Nyssa and Sara began going the other way.

“Sara,” Diggle called out, getting the blonde to stop and turn back. “Would you and Nyssa like a ride home?”

Sara paused to think about that for a moment. Did they want Diggle to know where the League safehouse was. Certainly, Oliver already knew, but had he shared that information with the rest of his team was the question. However, to refuse the offer could send a message that they didn’t trust the man. A sideways glance at Nyssa showed her approval.

“Thanks, Diggle,” Sara said as she and Nyssa came over to the man, who led the way to his van.

“Think nothing of it, Sara. Because its us who really should be thanking the pair of you. Just in the few days you’ve been training us, I feel like my skills in unarmed combat have almost doubled.”

“I am pleased that you feel that way, Mister Diggle,” Nyssa told him.

Once the trio were in the van, Sara proceeded to give directions to Diggle. The drive over was mostly silent, but it was a comfortable silence. When they reached the safe house, Diggle wasn’t surprised by either the location or the building. Sara and Nyssa kept a watch on the van as Diggle left and only when it was out of sight did they cross the street and go inside a different building than the one Diggle had thought was their safe house. After all, deception was an ingrained part of being a member of the league and one never knew who might be watching.

 

July 7, 2014

Starling City

 

Thea was sitting in the reception area at Jean Loring’s law office. Anthony had offered to come with her, but she had turned him down. For one thing, Duncan was leaving today, on his way back to Paris and Amanda. And a part of her, if she was being totally honest with herself, wanted to handle this on her own. Besides, every so often it was good to spend a little time by yourself, if only for the extra pleasure one felt when getting back together again.

“Hello, Thea,” Jean said as she came into the reception area. “We’re all set up in the conference room, if you’ll follow me.”

Thea walked behind her attorney, taking a controlled breath to steel herself. When they reached the conference room, she was surprised to see all of the people there. She had thought that this was just going to be a meeting with Jean and the attorney handling Malcolm’s estate with someone to take notes. This was more than that, as her recent training with Nyssa and Sara took over and she started to assess the situation. As she did so, she followed Jean to the end of the oak table and sat down next to her.

“Good morning, everyone.”

“Finally, we can begin,” said one of the men at the other end of the table. “Punctuality is a good thing, but there is such a thing as being too punctual, Miss Queen.”

“Well, as the meeting isn’t scheduled to start for another five minutes, I would say I’m on time,” Thea said with a smirk and a little sass in her voice.

“Please, let’s be civil here, Nathan,” an older man said, looking at the man who first spoke. “If you can’t be, then I suggest that you leave and one of the others can brief you about what we discuss later. Now, Miss Queen, I am Mister Brantley and I was Mister Merlyn’s personal attorney for twenty years. I have his last will and testament here and we will need to go over that, such as it pertains to you. Nathan Trumbauer is the corporate attorney for Merlyn Global and as such, has an interest in what happens here today. The rest of these ladies and gentlemen are members of Merlyn Global’s board of directors.”

“Thea, in the folder in front of you is a certified true copy of Mister Merlyn’s will, along with several attachments that come with it,” Jean told her client.

Once Thea and the rest of those gathered had opened their folders, Mister Brantley began.

“Mister Merlyn’s will was very straightforward. After a number of small bequests to friends and close associates, the bulk of the estate was to be left to his children. If there were no surviving children, then the estate was to be held in trust for a certain period of time, at which point we were instructed to follow the directions in attachment A, which was a sealed envelope. As such, when Mister Merlyn died and his son Thomas did as well, we followed the instructions from the will and placed everything into trust, after the estate passed through probate.”

“We were afraid that we would have to wait until the time came to open that envelope,” Nathan said. “And then you came forward, which triggered attachment B.”

“Indeed, Nathan. Miss Queen, attachment B provided the name of a child that Mister Merlyn had fathered. We were instructed not to contact you in regards to this, but that if you can to us, this was to serve as his admittance of paternity and instructed the immediate opening of attachment A. We did so open that attachment and filed the same with the courts. As such, you are now the sole heir and beneficiary of the Merlyn estate. I will turn this over to Mister Foss, the late Mister Merlyn’s accountant and the CFO for Merlyn Global.”

“Miss Queen, I have included the latest financial statement for the trust that was established. Today, I will give you the broad strokes and we’ll need to schedule another meeting to go into detail. Firstly, you own fifty-eight percent of Merlyn Global’s outstanding stock. You have voting rights over an additional twelve percent, which is in the Rebecca Merlyn charitable trust, the proceeds of which financed her clinic in the Glades. Second, there are several investment accounts that you have access to, as well as various properties and other assets. And finally, there are the savings and checking accounts. The overall value is one point six billion dollars after payment of all inheritance taxes on the estate, as of the end of trading last Thursday. While a significant reduction from where it stood just before his death, it is still a considerable sum and responsibility,” Mister Foss told her, as he sat back down.

“Thank you, Mister Foss,” Thea said as she looked up from the notes she’d been taking. “A quick question, however. Of the estate, roughly how much of it is liquid?”

“About three million, with another thirty that could be made liquid within twenty-four hours. The majority of the value of the estate is tied to Merlyn Global. Any large scale selloff would need to be done carefully, to avoid damaging the value of the remaining investment and to obtain the maximum profit as well.”

Thea smiled inwardly at that. It would be more than enough money, she thought, to get Verdant back from Queen Consolidated. Not that she needed the money. Rather it was so she would have something to do, other than train at the time. Plus, it would also maintain a solid cover for her brother’s nightly activities. She could also offer him a job, so that he have enough money to sleep somewhere other than the club’s basement.

“Miss Queen,” Nathan said, bringing her full attention back to the meeting. “We should also discuss what this means for Merlyn Global. With such a large holding in the company, it would be expected that you might wish to have a say in the day-to-day operations of the business, a seat on the board and a flashy title. However, I must ask you to think carefully. Your joining Merlyn Global, being acknowledged as Mister Merlyn’s heir, would likely bring up some bad feelings within the city, given the events that your parents were responsible for.”

Thea only had to take a brief look at the opposite end of the table to see several heads nodding. She wanted to laugh at them and the idea that she would join Merlyn Global. She wasn’t stupid and she didn’t need some corporate ambulance chaser to tell her the blatantly obvious. Not even the Siege as the media was calling it was going to distract the majority of people in this city from their anger about the Undertaking. It might push it to the side for the moment, as might the murder of her mother in the days leading up to the Siege, but having someone named Queen front and center at Merlyn Global would be like waving a red flag at a bull. Besides, given recent developments, keeping out of the limelight might be best, as the less noticeable she is, the less likely someone is to notice her continuing youth.

“Believe it or not, Mister Trumbauer, but, even though I never went to college, I’m not entirely stupid. I don’t think that, just because I managed a night club for a few months, suddenly I’m qualified to run a billion dollar corporation. Nor do I know enough about the company to make informed decisions, but I do intend to learn. I also understand the media frenzy that would take place if I was to take a position with the company and what such an event might do to the stock value of the company. Given that my newfound wealth is significantly tied to that value, I don’t want that. For those reasons, I fully intend to remain in the background, while qualified people run the company.”

With those words, much of the rising tension left the room. The rest of the meeting was wrapped up fairly quickly, with Thea signing document after document. She also made a number of followup appointments to see Mister Foss, Mister Brantley and Jean. Once everything was signed and notarized, the accountant handed Thea a checkbook, a pair of credit cards and a business card.

“An old boy scout, Miss Queen. I believe in being prepared. Those are tied to your new checking account and the money market account. Now that I have your signatures, I’ll stop at the bank and have them placed in your file. If you could wait until tomorrow before writing any checks, it would be appreciated. The cards are good to use now,” Mister Foss said as he turned, then walked out of the room.

Once the room had cleared, Jean took Thea down to her office. Once the young heiress was seated, she took the chair next to her.

“How are you?” Jean asked, knowing that the meeting had been a lot for the young heiress.

“Feeling overwhelmed,” Thea said with a chuckle. “Not about the money, but the responsibility. I mean, I never wanted anything to do with QC and here I am, the majority owner of Merlyn Global.”

“Like I said the last time we met, go and talk with Walter Steele. I am quite certain he’ll have plenty of sage advice to offer.”

“Thank you, Miss Loring.”

With that said, the lawyer escorted Thea from her office. A few minutes later and she was behind the wheel of her Camaro, the sunglasses she’d gotten in Paris on her face as she headed back across town. She hoped that Nyssa and Sara would be there, as she wanted to work on her hand-to-hand today, then practice her archery. It would take time, but a part of her wanted to get as good as her brother was with the bow.

Parking the car in the garage behind the building, she went in through the backdoor and followed her ears and nose. She found the pair of women on the second floor, in the kitchen working on something for lunch, it seemed. Thinking the pair were distracted, Thea gave in to her temptation and pulled a small knife from her purse. Practicing all of the stealth skills that Nyssa had been teaching her, she snuck towards the pair. Nyssa, however, was well aware that the young heiress was behind them, waiting to see what she would do. Thea’s movements were quiet, but not silent, and Nyssa was able to place where she was in the room. Then, she turned swiftly and caught the arm with the knife, using momentum to send her student into the counter, while twisting the arm behind her back and holding her there.

“You are learning,” Nyssa said with a smile. “Your plan was good, it is the execution that we must work on. I heard the door close, as well as your footsteps as you neared.”

“Damn,” was all Thea could said, feeling slightly embarrassed at how easily she’d been defeated, not thinking about the fact that Nyssa had years of experience on her.

“Don’t worry, Speedy,” Sara said, resting a hand on the young woman’s shoulder. “There are very few outside the League that can sneak up on Nyssa. But, we’ll teach you so that you’ll be one of those that can get close.”

“Thanks, Sara. Where’s Anthony?”

“He came back from taking Mister MacLeod to the airport, then left again saying he would be back in time to make dinner for us all.”

Taking the glass of iced tea that Sara handed her, Thea took a seat at the counter and watched the pair of assassins made a large bowl of grilled chicken salad. She could see a bowl of diced fruit and a tub of Greek yogurt waiting as well. Soon, the three of them were filling their plates.

“How did things go at the lawyers?”

“It was overwhelming. But, you are looking at the majority shareholder of Merlyn Global,” Thea told them. “I’m going to call Walter and talk with him about that. And I should be able to get Verdant back as well, as long as I can reach a deal with Queen Consolidated.”

“Going to offer Ollie a job?” Sara asked with a grin that hinted she’d like to be there when it happened, just to see the look on his face.

“Actually, I might talk to him about him helping me run the place. It would be something for him to do, other than be the grump in the basement and it would allow me enough free time to continue my training. Plus, while I may not take a job at Merlyn Global, that doesn’t mean I don’t need to keep an eye on my company.”

“And Queen Consolidated? Or is that a lost cause?”

“I don’t know, Sara,” Thea told her friend. And honestly, she didn’t know. If she was being perfectly honest with herself, she had entirely mixed feelings about the company. And about her mother, her brother. There was only Robert who her feelings weren’t mixed about, she loved him and she knew he had loved her too. She wondered if he had known the truth, that she wasn’t his, and she realized that if he had, it only made her love him more. Because there had never been a day where she didn’t know that he loved her, never a time when she’d felt like she was somehow less than Oliver was.

With lunch finished, Thea went to her room and changed quickly. Then it was time to head downstairs and see what Nyssa had in store for her today. Slowing as she came down to the first floor, she was surprised to see the lights were turned off. She stepped off the stairs and reached her hand over, feeling for where the switches were located. She had just about located them when she was met with a punch to her chest, not hard enough to do injury, but more than enough to stun her. Before she could react to that, another blow landed on her back, right between her shoulder blades.

Thea turned to face that opponent, which resulted in her getting struck on her butt with what felt like Sara’s Bo. Her groan of frustration and anger was met by a chuckle from what was definitely Sara and a slap to her forehead by Nyssa, she figured based on positioning. It was at this point that Thea finally snapped and just started lashing out, trying to hit something, anything. There was no technique, no form, just wild attempts at striking something, anything. She didn’t realize that she was moving away from the wall, away from where Sara and now Nyssa stood next to each other watching, waiting. It was only when she finally stopped that Nyssa turned on the lights.

“I must say, I am a little disappointed, Miss Queen,” Nyssa said calmly. “It took barely two minutes for you to forget all that Mister Rossi, Sara and I have been teaching you.”

“But I couldn’t see you, so how was I supposed to defend myself?” Thea asked angrily.

“Do you think eyes are the only way to see?”

Nyssa walked over to the weapons rack and picked up a long piece of black silk. She then covered her eyes with it, wrapping the ends around her head twice before tying them off. Thea watched in awe as Sara then attacked, going for a strike with an Escrima stick. Nyssa moved with a purpose, easily sidestepping the strike before grabbing the wrist and pulling Sara off-balance. She then followed this up with a strike towards the throat, which if she hadn’t pulled it at the last moment would likely have crushed Sara’s larynx. Sara stepped back and then attacked again, this time by throwing a training knife at the blindfolded figure. Thea gasped in shock when Nyssa easily caught the blade and threw it back at Sara.

“How in the hell….”

“By using my other senses, Miss Queen. Hearing the rustle of fabric moving as Sara went to strike me, feeling the air move against my skin, smelling the soap that Sara used this morning. Just as I can smell the faint perfume you put on before you went to your meeting,” Nyssa told her.

“Do you want to know why members of the League are the most feared warriors in the world, Thea?” Sara asked rhetorically, smiling at Nyssa who had removed her blindfold. “It’s because we are trained to adapt to any environment, any situation. Darkness is our ally, not our foe, and because of that, we always have the advantage. Even at night, there is still some light. Take that little bit away and you make your opponent as helpless as a newborn baby.”

“And now, we will teach you to accept the darkness.”

With those words, Nyssa placed the blindfold over Thea’s eyes. Nyssa and Sara both watched the younger woman grapple with losing the sense most depended on in daily life. It took several minutes, but finally Thea stilled herself and reached out with her other senses. Seeing this, Nyssa nodded for her beloved to begin. Sara launched an attack, using the edge of her open hand to strike at Thea’s midsection. Thea blocked, just missing the arm, as she did with the next three strikes, as Sara mixed her choice of target and method of attack. The fifth strike, however, was blocked.

“Nice job, Thea,” Sara told her with a smile. “Now, how did you know? Or did you just guess and get lucky?”

“I heard a floor board creak and I felt this slight breeze on my cheek,” Thea told her.

The next four hours passed quickly, as the pair of assassins taught Thea a good amount about fighting without the benefit of her sight. They progressed slowly for simply defending, to striking back at her attackers and finally to actually countering by attacking first. By the end of their training session, they even had Thea wielding a bokken without endangering anyone else in the room.

When she removed the blindfold, Thea was smiling brightly. This had been the hardest thing she’d ever attempted. Seeing the looks that Nyssa and Sara were giving her, all the work felt so worth it in that moment. The only thing missing right now was Anthony, which caused her to realize that she didn’t feel the Buzz from her fellow Immortal. A quick look at the time and she was surprised that he wasn’t back by now.

The trio went back upstairs and to their own rooms. A quick shower and change later, they were in the living area of the building. Filling glasses with iced tea, they sat down and just relaxed for a bit. While they weren’t talking, the silence didn’t feel awkward or oppressive, but actually natural. Of course, that was when the silence was broken by the sound of one of the outside doors closing loudly, accompanied by Thea sensing Anthony nearby. Catching her smile, the pair of assassins relaxed and waited.

“Good evening, ladies,” Anthony said as he stepped into the kitchen area, depositing a number of bags on the counter.

“About time you got back,” Sara said with a grin. “We’ve been working hard all afternoon and need to be fed.”

“Oh, I see how it is. You’re only keeping me around because I can cook.”

“Well, there are other reasons,” Thea remarked with a wicked grin and a flirty wink.

Sara and Nyssa laughed when Thea said that, even more so when Anthony started to look a little flushed. Anthony worked to hide it by busying himself with putting things away, before turning his attention to tonight’s dinner preparation. As he worked, all three women came from their previous seats and took places at the kitchen island. He found it somewhat amusing to have an audience while he cooked, though this one had an ulterior motive as they would wait until he was working on something else, then try to sneak a piece of vegetable. This all caused him to take a little longer to get the beef stir-fry and rice done, but eventually he was filling plates before taking another stool at the counter.

All too soon, dinner was over and it was time for Sara and Nyssa to head for the lair. The pair changed into their uniforms, then headed for the roof and were off. Anthony and Thea handled the cleanup, then settled in on the couch. He had a book there, which he opened and picked up reading where he’d left off. She had her tablet and was taking some time to look into Merlyn Global. While she wouldn’t have an active part in the company, it was still largely her company and she felt it would be wise to have some understanding of what exactly the company did.

A couple of hours later, Anthony looked over to find Thea sound asleep. Slipping the tablet from her fingers, he put it on the coffee table. Then, he gathered her in his arms and carried her into her bedroom. Deciding that she would be alright in the yoga pants and loose top she was wearing, he took a moment to remove her shoes and socks before laying a sheet over her before going back out to the couch to continue reading. When Nyssa and Sara returned in the early hours of the morning, that was where they found him, book on his chest and dozing.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think of this story


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